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)