¨,~\*$§###                                          ###§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@##                                          ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@##                                          ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§###                                          ###§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@##                                          ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##@§$*\~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~\$$§                                          §$$\~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,\**$§          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          §$**\,,¨¨¨
¨,~\*$§@@#                                          #@@§$*\~,¨
¨¨¨¨~~*$§§                \  \  \  \                §§$*~~¨¨¨¨
¨,~\*$§@##                                          ##@§$*\~,¨
¨¨¨¨,,\$$@ IN  THIS  DREAM I  WAS A GIRL  OF  MAYBE @$$\,,¨¨¨¨
¨,~\*$§@## SIXTEEN  YEARS,  TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@## A  HUGE BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  /  HOTEL  / ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@## SHOPPING CENTRE.      DAD WAS  CONSTATLY ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@## POINTING OUT  HOT  GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~~\\\\$@   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 -                  §*~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,\$§                                          §$\,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,\\**§@                \  \  \  \                @§**\\,¨¨¨
¨,~\*$$$§@                                          @§$$$*\~,¨
¨,~~~~*$§§ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) §§$*~~~~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~*§#                                          #§*~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~\*$§@## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##@§$*\~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,\$@                                          @$\,,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~\\**§§§                                          §§§**\\~,¨
¨,~\*$§@##                                          ##@§$*\~,¨
¨,~\*$§§@#                                          #@§§$*\~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,\\*§                                          §*\\,¨¨¨¨¨