¨::-:==%## ##%==:-::¨
¨:-:=%§### ###§%=:-:¨
¨¨¨¨¨::=%§ §%=::¨¨¨¨¨
¨::::-=§## ##§=-::::¨
¨:-:=%§### ###§%=:-:¨
¨:-::::%%# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #%%::::-:¨
¨:-:===§§# #§§===:-:¨
¨:-:=%§### 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) #§=---¨¨¨¨
¨:-:===%§# #§%===:-:¨
¨¨¨¨¨--=%§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §%=--¨¨¨¨¨
¨:-:=%§### ###§%=:-:¨
¨:-:=%§### ###§%=:-:¨
¨:-:=%§### ###§%=:-:¨
¨:-:=%§### ###§%=:-:¨
¨:-:%§#### ####§%:-:¨