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