¨^~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~^¨
¨^~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~^¨
¨^~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~^¨
¨^~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~%%¤#                                          #¤%%~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~%*# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #*%~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^††%**¤                                          ¤**%††^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^†%¤          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) ¤*††††^¨¨¨
¨^^~††%¤¤#                                          #¤¤%††~^^¨
¨^~†%*¤### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ###¤*%†~^¨
¨^~†%*####                                          ####*%†~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~†%¤                                          ¤%†~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~^¨
¨^~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~^¨
¨^~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~^¨