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)