¨^~:†%§###                                          ###§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@@                                          @@#§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§##@                                          @##§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@@                                          @@#§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@@ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @@#§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:~^¨
¨^~::::†§§          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) @#§§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:~^¨
¨^~::†%§§@ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @§§%†::~^¨
¨¨¨~~::%§#                                          #§%::~~¨¨¨
¨^~:†%§###                                          ###§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:~^¨
¨^~:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^::%§@                                          @§%::^¨¨¨¨