¶%$~~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~~$%¶
@$$^~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~^$$@
#@%^^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^^%@#
###¶%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%¶###
#¶%^^^^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^^^^%¶#
##¶@%$^~^¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨^~^$%@¶##
@%%$^~~~^¨                                          ¨^~~~^$%%@
##¶@%$^~^¨          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¨^~^$%@¶##
##¶@%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%@¶##
¶¶@%$~~^^¨                ^  ^  ^  ^                ¨^^~~$%@¶¶
##¶@%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%@¶##
@@%$$~¨¨¨¨ IN  THIS DREAM I WAS  A  GIRL  OF  MAYBE ¨¨¨¨~$$%@@
¶%%^^^^^^¨ 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) ¨^~^^$$$@#
##¶@%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%@¶##
###¶@$^~^¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨^~^$@¶###
¶@@$$$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$$$@@¶
##¶@%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%@¶##
¶¶¶@%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%@¶¶¶
##¶@%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%@¶##
##¶@%$^~^¨                                          ¨^~^$%@¶##