¨¨¨¨¨:~:%&                                          &%:~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~:%&§                                          §&%:~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~:%&§#                                          #§&%:~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~:%&§##                                          ##§&%:~:¨¨
¨:~:%&§###                                          ###§&%:~:¨
¨¨:~:%&§## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##§&%:~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~:%&§#                                          #§&%:~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~:%&§          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) &%:~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~:%&§                                          §&%:~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~:%&§# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #§&%:~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~:%&§##                                          ##§&%:~:¨¨
¨:~:%&§###                                          ###§&%:~:¨
¨¨:~:%&§##                                          ##§&%:~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~:%&§#                                          #§&%:~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~:%&§                                          §&%:~:¨¨¨¨