###§&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&§###
###§&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&§###
####§&%^«¨                                          ¨«^%&§####
###§&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&§###
###§&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&§###
###§&%^«.¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨.«^%&§###
####§&%«.¨                                          ¨.«%&§####
###§&%^«.¨          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) ¨.«^%&####
###§&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&§###
§&^^.¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨.^^&§
#§&%««««.¨                                          ¨.««««%&§#
###§&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&§###
###§&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&§###
##§&&%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%&&§##
§&%«...¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨...«%&§