¤¤$»^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^»$¤¤
¤¤¤¤†^,,,,                                          ,,,,^†¤¤¤¤
##¶¤¤$†»^,                                          ,^»†$¤¤¶##
##¶¤¤$†»^,                                          ,^»†$¤¤¶##
¤¤†^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^†¤¤
¤¤†»»»»»^, †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,^»»»»»†¤¤
¶¤¤††††»^,                                          ,^»††††¤¤¶
##¶¤¤$†»^,          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ,^»†$¤¤¶##
##¶¤¤$†»^,                                          ,^»†$¤¤¶##
##¶¤¤$†»^,                †  †  †  †                ,^»†$¤¤¶##
#¶¶¤¤$†»^,                                          ,^»†$¤¤¶¶#
##¶¤¤$†»^, IN  THIS DREAM  I  WAS A GIRL  OF  MAYBE ,^»†$¤¤¶##
¤¤††^,,,,, 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 ,,,,,»†¤¤#
¤¤¤$†»»»^,                  SAID -                  ,^»»»†$¤¤¤
¶¤¤$»,,,,,                                          ,,,,,»$¤¤¶
##¶¤¤$†»^,                †  †  †  †                ,^»†$¤¤¶##
##¶¤¤$†»^,                                          ,^»†$¤¤¶##
¶¤$$»»,,,, (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ,,,,»»$$¤¶
¶¶¤¤†††»^,                                          ,^»†††¤¤¶¶
##¶¤¤$†»^, †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,^»†$¤¤¶##
¶¤†^^^^,,,                                          ,,,^^^^†¤¶
¤¤$$$†^,,,                                          ,,,^†$$$¤¤
##¶¤¤$†»^,                                          ,^»†$¤¤¶##
##¶¤¤$†»^,                                          ,^»†$¤¤¶##
#¶¤¤$»,,,,                                          ,,,,»$¤¤¶#