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)