@%%=--^,,, ,,,^--=%%@
#@#@%%=-^, ,^-=%%@#@#
@@%%%-^,,, ,,,^-%%%@@
#@#@%%=-^, ,^-=%%@#@#
#@#@%%=-^, ,^-=%%@#@#
@#@@%%=-^, ======================================== ,^-=%%@@#@
#@#@%%=-^, ,^-=%%@#@#
##@%%%=-^, 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) ,,,,^-=%%@
#@#@%%=-^, ,^-=%%@#@#
#@#@%%=-^, ======================================== ,^-=%%@#@#
#%%-^^^,,, ,,,^^^-%%#
#%%%%%=-^, ,^-=%%%%%#
@%%%%%=-^, ,^-=%%%%%@
#@#@%%=-^, ,^-=%%@#@#
@#@%%%=-^, ,^-=%%%@#@