§§§§%*=«,,                                          ,,«=*%§§§§
@§%=«««,,,                                          ,,,«««=%§@
##@§%*=«,,                                          ,,«=*%§@##
§%=,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,=%§
##@§%*=«,,                                          ,,«=*%§@##
#§*=,,,,,, ======================================== ,,,,,,=*§#
§§%%%*=«,,                                          ,,«=*%%%§§
@@§%*==«,,          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) ,,,,«=*%§§
##@§%*=«,,                                          ,,«=*%§@##
##@§%*=«,, ======================================== ,,«=*%§@##
§§§*«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«*§§§
#@%=«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«=%@#
##@§%*=«,,                                          ,,«=*%§@##
§*=,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,=*§
##@§%*=«,,                                          ,,«=*%§@##