§§**\--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--\**§§
§§*-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-*§§
§$$*\\-.¨¨ ¨¨.-\\*$$§
##@§$*\-.¨ ¨.-\*$§@##
##@§$*\-.¨ ¨.-\*$§@##
###@§$\-.¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨.-\$§@###
@$$**-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-**$$@
§*--.¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨--*§§
##@§$*\-.¨ ¨.-\*$§@##
#@@§$*\-.¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨.-\*$§@@#
@@§$$*\-.¨ ¨.-\*$$§@@
##@§$*\-.¨ ¨.-\*$§@##
§*-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-*§
##@§$*\-.¨ ¨.-\*$§@##
##@§$*\-.¨ ¨.-\*$§@##