¤¤§%%%/~.¨                                          ¨.~/%%%§¤¤
##¤%///~.¨                                          ¨.~///%¤##
###¤§%/~.¨                                          ¨.~/%§¤###
###¤§%/~.¨                                          ¨.~/%§¤###
###¤§%/~.¨                                          ¨.~/%§¤###
###¤§%/~.¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨.~/%§¤###
¤§%%//~~.¨                                          ¨.~~//%%§¤
###¤§%/~.¨          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) ¨.~/%§¤###
#§////~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~////§#
#¤%~~~.¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨.~~~%¤#
##§/.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨./§##
###¤§%/~.¨                                          ¨.~/%§¤###
###¤§%/~.¨                                          ¨.~/%§¤###
#¤%//~...¨                                          ¨...~//%¤#
###¤§%/~.¨                                          ¨.~/%§¤###