¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.\$$¤ ¤$$\.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨.\\\¤¤¤ ¤¤¤\\\.¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### \ \ \ \ ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨.~\$¤¤## ##¤¤$\~.¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.\¤¤¤ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¤¤¤\.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤¤## SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ##¤¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\\\$¤¤# SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY #¤¤$\\\~.¨
¨.~\$¤#### POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ####¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨.~$¤## BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ##¤$~.¨¨¨¨
¨.~~~\$¤¤¤ SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT ¤¤¤$\~~~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨..\\¤¤ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ¤¤\\..¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~\\\$¤# GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER #¤$\\\~¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨..\¤¤# TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD #¤¤\..¨¨¨¨
¨.~\\\¤¤## WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT ##¤¤\\\~.¨
¨.~\$$$¤¤# QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND #¤¤$$$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$¤¤¤ ¤¤¤$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~$$¤## THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. ##¤$$~¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### WALLS, FLOORS AND PILLARS WERE SET IN ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### GREEN MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE RAN ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤¤¤¤ A MAIN BOULEVARD, WIDE AS A STREET, ¤¤¤¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨~\\¤¤# FRAMED WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS OBSIDIAN #¤¤\\~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.\$¤¤¤ AND TALLER THAN A PERSON. IN EACH VASE ¤¤¤$\.¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### WAS PLACED UPRIGHT A LEAF FROM A PALM ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\\\$$¤¤ TREE OR GIANT FERN. THE BOULEVARD WAS ¤¤$$\\\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### DIMLY LIT, WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~~~$$¤¤# WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT #¤¤$$~~~.¨
¨¨¨.\\$$¤# EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE #¤$$\\.¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE. ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤¤¤# \ \ \ \ #¤¤¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤¤¤¤ FOLLOWING THE BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS UP ¤¤¤¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### I FOUND HER CRYING BEHIND TWO FERN ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### VASES. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND AS I ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨.\$$¤¤¤ APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. ¤¤¤$$\.¨¨¨
¨.~~~~\¤¤# IN THE NEAREST VASE SHE HAD STUFFED #¤¤\~~~~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### BOTH THE SHOES. ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨~\$¤¤#### ####¤¤$\~¨
¨.~\$¤¤### I TOLD HER TO FOLLOW, BUT SHE DIDN'T ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤¤¤¤ MOVE OR SPEAK. SO INSTEAD I SAID TO ¤¤¤¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~$¤¤ STAY THERE, AND RAN TO GET HER A BETTER ¤¤$~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### PAIR OF SHOES THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤¤ LIKE. WHEN I RETURNED, HAVING SPENT ¤¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### MORE THAN I COULD REALLY AFFORD, SHE ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨~\\$¤# WAS VISIBLY IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND #¤$\\~¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### COOL, SAYING SOMETHING LIKE "WHAT DO ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~$¤¤ YOU THINK, JUST BECAUSE A GIRL HAS A ¤¤$~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨...\$¤¤# FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" #¤¤$\...¨¨
¨¨¨~~\$¤## BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. ##¤$\~~¨¨¨
¨.~\$$$$¤¤ ¤¤$$$$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤# SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME #¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$$$¤## OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF ##¤$$$\~.¨
¨.~\$$$¤## ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER ##¤$$$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨.\$$¤¤¤ THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING ¤¤¤$$\.¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨.~~~~$¤¤ ¤¤$~~~~.¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤¤¤# SAID - #¤¤¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$¤## ##¤$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### \ \ \ \ ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨.\\$¤# #¤$\\.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~$¤¤ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¤¤$~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.\¤¤¤# #¤¤¤\.¨¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤### \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨.~\$¤¤### ###¤¤$\~.¨
¨¨¨¨.\\$¤# #¤$\\.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~\\¤¤¤# #¤¤¤\\~¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~\¤¤¤# #¤¤¤\~.¨¨¨
¨.~\$¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤$\~.¨