¨-=:§*§#@# #@#§*§:=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨--:§§ §§:--¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=:§*§##@ @##§*§:=-¨
¨-===::§§# #§§::===-¨
¨-=:§*§### ###§*§:=-¨
¨-=:§*§@## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##@§*§:=-¨
¨-=:§*§#@# #@#§*§:=-¨
¨-===:§§§# 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) @@#§*§:=-¨
¨-=:§*§#@# #@#§*§:=-¨
¨¨---=:*§§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §§*:=---¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=:§*§ §*§:=-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--:*# #*:--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨=§§§§§ §§§§§=¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨=:::*§ §*:::=¨¨¨¨
¨-=:§§§*§# #§*§§§:=-¨