###§$†*~,¨                                          ¨,~*†$§###
###§$†*~,¨                                          ¨,~*†$§###
§§†~~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~~†§§
###§$†*~,¨                                          ¨,~*†$§###
§$$*,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,*$$§
###§$†*~,¨ **************************************** ¨,~*†$§###
###§$†*~,¨                                          ¨,~*†$§###
###§$†*~,¨          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¨,~*†$§###
###§$†*~,¨                                          ¨,~*†$§###
§†††**,,,¨                *  *  *  *                ¨,,,**†††§
###§$†*~,¨                                          ¨,~*†$§###
§†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨,~*†§####
#$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$#
§§†~,,,,,¨ **************************************** ¨,,,,,~†§§
##$††*,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,*††$##
#$†*~~~~,¨                                          ¨,~~~~*†$#
§§†**,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,**†§§
§§§§$†*~,¨                                          ¨,~*†$§§§§
§§$**,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,**$§§