###@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@###
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
@##@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@##@
@@$%---,,¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨,,---%$@@
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
##@#@$;-,¨          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¨,-;$@#@##
##@#@$;-,¨                                          ¨,-;$@#@##
#@#@$%;-,¨                ;  ;  ;  ;                ¨,-;%$@#@#
@$;,,,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,,,;$@
#@#@$%;-,¨ IN  THIS DREAM  I  WAS A  GIRL OF  MAYBE ¨,-;%$@#@#
#@#@$%;-,¨ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY  DAD IN ¨,-;%$@#@#
#@#@$%;-,¨ A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA /  HOTEL  / ¨,-;%$@#@#
@#@%-¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨,-;%$$$#@
#@#@$%;-,¨                  SAID -                  ¨,-;%$@#@#
@%;-,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,-;%@
@@%%-,,¨¨¨                ;  ;  ;  ;                ¨¨¨,,-%%@@
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
#@#@$%;-,¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨,-;%$@#@#
#$%--,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,--%$#
@@#@$%;-,¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨,-;%$@#@@
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#
@@@@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@@@@
#@#@$%;-,¨                                          ¨,-;%$@#@#