,,,~-*%%£¶                                          ¶£%%*-~,,,
,,,,~-*%%£                                          £%%*-~,,,,
,,,,,~-*%%                                          %%*-~,,,,,
,,,,,,~-*%                                          %*-~,,,,,,
,,,,,~-*%%                                          %%*-~,,,,,
,,,,~-*%%£ **************************************** £%%*-~,,,,
,,,~-*%%£¶                                          ¶£%%*-~,,,
,,~-*%%£¶#          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) ¶£%%*-~,,,
,,,,~-*%%£                                          £%%*-~,,,,
,,,,,~-*%% **************************************** %%*-~,,,,,
,,,,,,~-*%                                          %*-~,,,,,,
,,,,,~-*%%                                          %%*-~,,,,,
,,,,~-*%%£                                          £%%*-~,,,,
,,,~-*%%£¶                                          ¶£%%*-~,,,
,,~-*%%£¶#                                          #¶£%%*-~,,