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)