#§§:~~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~~:§§#
#@##§$:~,¨                                          ¨,~:$§##@#
##@#§$:~,¨                                          ¨,~:$§#@##
##§:~,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,~:§##
##@#§$:~,¨                                          ¨,~:$§#@##
@@§$~,¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨,~$§@@
#$~~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~$#
@#$~,¨¨¨¨¨          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¨¨¨¨¨,~$#@
##$:,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,:$##
@§§:,¨¨¨¨¨                :  :  :  :                ¨¨¨¨¨,:§§@
##$:~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~:$##
##@#§$:~,¨ IN THIS  DREAM  I WAS A  GIRL  OF  MAYBE ¨,~:$§#@##
@@§:,¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨~~:§@@
##@#§$:~,¨ DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ¨,~:$§#@##
##$$:~¨¨¨¨ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED  AT  ME  AGAIN,  AND ¨¨¨¨~:$$##
##§$:::~,¨                  SAID -                  ¨,~:::$§##
@@§$$$:~,¨                                          ¨,~:$$$§@@
@§§:~,¨¨¨¨                :  :  :  :                ¨¨¨¨,~:§§@
@#§:,,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,,:§#@
@@@#§$:~,¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨,~:$§#@@@
####§$:~,¨                                          ¨,~:$§####
@§:,¨¨¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨,:§@
#§§:~~~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~~~:§§#
@§§$:~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~:$§§@
##@#§$:~,¨                                          ¨,~:$§#@##
##§:~~~,,¨                                          ¨,,~~~:§##
@#$:,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,:$#@