##¨¨###¨## #¨¨¨#¨##¨¨
¨#¨#¨¨##¨# #¨¨###¨#¨#
####¨#¨### #¨#¨¨#####
¨¨¨####¨¨¨ ###¨#¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨#¨¨¨#¨¨# ¨¨###¨¨¨¨¨
¨##¨¨##¨#¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨#¨¨#¨¨¨¨¨
#¨#¨#¨#### ##¨##¨¨¨¨¨
######¨¨¨# 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) ##¨#####¨#
##¨¨¨¨#¨¨# ¨##¨¨¨¨##¨
¨#¨¨¨##¨#¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #¨#¨¨¨#¨##
##¨¨#¨#### ###¨¨###¨#
¨#¨###¨¨¨# ¨¨#¨#¨¨##¨
###¨¨#¨¨#¨ ¨####¨#¨#¨
¨¨#¨##¨### #¨¨¨######
¨###¨##¨¨¨ #¨¨#¨¨¨¨¨#