##¶£$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$£¶##
£§§§«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«§§§£
#£$$$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$$$£#
##¶£$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$£¶##
£$§:«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«:§$£
#££§««««,¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨,««««§££#
¶£§§«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«§§£¶
##¶£$§:«,¨ mouse girl likes shoes ¨,«:§$£¶##
##¶£$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$£¶##
#£$$:::«,¨ : : : : ¨,«:::$$£#
#£$§:«¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨«:§$£#
#££$:,,,¨¨ in this dream i was a girl of maybe ¨¨,,,:$££#
##¶£$§:«,¨ sixteen years, together with my dad in ¨,«:§$£¶##
¶$§::«,,¨¨ a huge bath house / spa / hotel / ¨¨,,«::§$¶
£§«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨,«§£#
¶¶£$::,¨¨¨ closer. she laughed at me again, and ¨¨¨,::$£¶¶
¶$§§:,¨¨¨¨ said - ¨¨¨¨,:§§$¶
##¶£$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$£¶##
¶$§«,¨¨¨¨¨ : : : : ¨¨¨¨¨,«§$¶
##¶£$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$£¶##
¶$$:,¨¨¨¨¨ (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ¨¨¨¨¨,:$$¶
##¶£$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$£¶##
##¶£$§:«,¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨,«:§$£¶##
#££§««««,¨ ¨,««««§££#
¶¶¶£$§:«,¨ ¨,«:§$£¶¶¶
£££§§§:«,¨ ¨,«:§§§£££
¶£$$§««,¨¨ ¨¨,««§$$£¶
££§«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«§££