###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
&$**...... ......**$&
####$†*~.. ..~*†$####
###&$†*~.. **************************************** ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. * * * * ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
&&&&$†*~.. IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ..~*†$&&&&
###&$†*~.. SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ..~*†$&###
#$†~...... A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ......~†$#
###&$†*~.. SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ..~*†$&###
&$†~...... THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ......~†$&
&&$†*~.... BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ....~*†$&&
##$$*..... SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT .....*$$##
##$$***~.. THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ..~***$$##
&$*~~..... .....~~*$&
###&$†*~.. THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ..~*†$&###
&†††~~.... 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 ..~*†$$$&&
###&$†*~.. FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
#&$†~..... SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME .....~†$&#
###&$†*~.. OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF ..~*†$&###
#&$††~.... ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER ....~††$&#
&$*....... AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND .......*$&
###&$†*~.. THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING ..~*†$&###
#&$*~..... CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED .....~*$&#
####&$†*~. OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY .~*†$&####
#&†~...... AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM ......~†&#
###&$†*~.. THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ..~*†$&###
&†††*..... .....*†††&
###&$†*~.. SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ..~*†$&###
##&†*~.... DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ....~*†&##
####&$*~.. CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ..~*$&####
##&†**.... SAID - ....**†&##
#&&$$†*~.. ..~*†$$&&#
###&$†*~.. * * * * ..~*†$&###
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
####$†*~.. (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ..~*†$####
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
##$†~~.... **************************************** ....~~†$##
#&&†~~.... ....~~†&&#
####&†*~.. ..~*†&####
###&$†*~.. ..~*†$&###
&†††~..... .....~†††&
&†*....... .......*†&