¨,,,««:†§#                                          #§†:««,,,¨
¨,«:†$#@##                                          ##@#$†:«,¨
¨,«:$§#@##                                          ##@#§$:«,¨
¨,«:†$§@##                                          ##@§$†:«,¨
¨,«::†$$$§                                          §$$$†::«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,««†§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §†««,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««†§                                          §†««¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«:†$§#@#          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          #@#§$†:«,¨
,«:†$§#@##                                          ##@#§$†:«,
¨¨¨,,«††§#                :  :  :  :                #§††«,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨«««««†§                                          §†«««««¨¨¨
¨,«:†$$$## IN THIS  DREAM I  WAS  A GIRL  OF  MAYBE ##$$$†:«,¨
¨¨¨¨,,:†$# SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY  DAD  IN #$†:,,¨¨¨¨
¨,«:†$§#@# A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  / HOTEL  / #@#§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§@## SHOPPING CENTRE.       DAD WAS CONSTATLY ##@§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§#@# POINTING OUT HOT  GIRLS TO  ME. "YOU SEE #@#§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§#@#   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   #@#§$†:«,¨
¨¨¨,,:††$# BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D #$††:,,¨¨¨
¨¨,«::†$§§ SAY.  HE WAS  ALWAYS  VERY CREEPY  ABOUT §§$†::«,¨¨
¨,«:†$§#@@ THIS,    GOING   FOR   GIRLS   MY   AGE. @@#§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§#@#                                          #@#§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§#@# THIS NIGHT  HE  HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO  A #@#§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$$$§@ GIRL HE  CALLED  A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER @§$$$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§#@# SHOES,  BUT SHE  HAD ACCEPTED  THEM ONLY #@#§$†:«,¨
¨,«:††††$# TO RUN  AWAY  IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD #$††††:«,¨
¨,«:†$§#@# WAS   A  BIT   BUMMED  BUT   DROPPED  IT #@#§$†:«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,:$§ QUICKLY.  I SAID  GOODNIGHT TO  HIM  AND §$:,,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«:†§#@##        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 -                  §†«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,««†§§@                                          @§§†««,¨¨¨
¨,«:†$§#@#                :  :  :  :                #@#§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§##@                                          @##§$†:«,¨
¨,«:†$§### (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ###§$†:«,¨
¨¨¨¨«:$§§§                                          §§§$:«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,:†§§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §§†:,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«:†$§#@#                                          #@#§$†:«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««†§                                          §†««¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«:†$§#@#                                          #@#§$†:«,¨
¨¨¨¨««::†§                                          §†::««¨¨¨¨
¨,«:†$§#@#                                          #@#§$†:«,¨