¨##¨¨¨###¨ ¨¨¨##¨¨#¨#
#¨#¨¨#¨¨## ¨¨#¨#¨####
###¨##¨#¨# ¨#####¨¨¨¨
¨¨##¨##### #¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨#
¨#¨##¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨##¨¨##
###¨#¨¨¨¨# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #¨¨#¨#¨#¨#
¨¨###¨¨¨## #¨#######¨
¨#¨¨#¨¨#¨# 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) ¨¨#¨#¨#¨¨¨
#¨######¨¨ ¨######¨¨¨
##¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨#
¨#¨¨¨¨##¨¨ #¨¨¨¨##¨#¨
##¨¨¨#¨#¨¨ #¨¨¨#¨###¨
¨#¨¨####¨# #¨¨###¨¨##
##¨#¨¨¨### #¨#¨¨#¨#¨#
¨###¨¨#¨¨# ###¨#####¨