#@@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@@#
@@$=-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-=$@@
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##
###@@$*=~¨                                          ¨~=*$@@###
#@$==~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~==$@#
@@*=-¨¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨¨¨-=*@@
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##
@$$**=~--¨          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¨--~=**$$@
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##
@***~---¨¨                =  =  =  =                ¨¨---~***@
@*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*@
##@@$*=~-¨ IN  THIS  DREAM  I  WAS A GIRL OF  MAYBE ¨-~=*$@@##
#@$*~-¨¨¨¨ SIXTEEN YEARS,  TOGETHER WITH MY DAD  IN ¨¨¨¨-~*$@#
@@@@$*=~-¨ A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  / HOTEL  / ¨-~=*$@@@@
##@@$*=~-¨ SHOPPING CENTRE.      DAD WAS  CONSTATLY ¨-~=*$@@##
##@@$*=~-¨ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO  ME.  "YOU SEE ¨-~=*$@@##
###@$*=~-¨   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   ¨-~=*$@###
##@@$*=~-¨ BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D ¨-~=*$@@##
###@$*=~-¨ SAY.  HE  WAS  ALWAYS  VERY CREEPY ABOUT ¨-~=*$@###
@*==~~~--¨ 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 -                  ¨¨¨-~****@
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##
#@@$$*=~-¨                =  =  =  =                ¨-~=*$$@@#
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##
#@@@$*=~-¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨-~=*$@@@#
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##
##@@$*=~-¨ ======================================== ¨-~=*$@@##
#@***=-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-=***@#
@$*~~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~~*$@
@**~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~**@
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##
##@@$*=~-¨                                          ¨-~=*$@@##