#¨#¨¨¨#¨¨# ##¨¨###¨##
¨###¨¨##¨# #¨#¨#¨¨##¨
¨#¨¨#¨#¨## ¨#####¨#¨#
###¨#####¨ ##¨¨¨¨####
¨¨¨##¨¨¨¨# #¨#¨¨¨#¨¨¨
¨¨¨#¨#¨¨¨# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨###¨¨##¨¨
¨¨¨####¨¨# ¨#¨¨#¨#¨#¨
¨¨¨#¨¨¨#¨# 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) ¨¨¨#¨¨¨##¨
¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨#¨ ¨¨¨##¨¨#¨#
#¨¨¨¨##¨## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨#¨#¨###
¨#¨¨¨#¨##¨ ¨¨¨#####¨¨
¨##¨¨###¨# ¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨#¨
¨#¨#¨#¨¨## ¨¨¨##¨¨¨##
#######¨#¨ #¨¨#¨#¨¨#¨
#¨¨¨¨¨¨### ##¨####¨##