,,,«/%*@¶#                                          #¶@*%/«,,,
,,«/%*@¶##                                          ##¶@*%/«,,
,,,«/%*@¶#                                          #¶@*%/«,,,
,,,,«/%*@¶                                          ¶@*%/«,,,,
,,,,,«/%*@                                          @*%/«,,,,,
,,,,,,«/%* //////////////////////////////////////// *%/«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«/%                                          %/«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«/          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) %/«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«/%*                                          *%/«,,,,,,
,,,,,«/%*@ //////////////////////////////////////// @*%/«,,,,,
,,,,«/%*@¶                                          ¶@*%/«,,,,
,,,«/%*@¶#                                          #¶@*%/«,,,
,,«/%*@¶##                                          ##¶@*%/«,,
,,,«/%*@¶#                                          #¶@*%/«,,,
,,,,«/%*@¶                                          ¶@*%/«,,,,