#§§§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§§§#
§§§%=«::..                                          ..::«=%§§§
###£%==«:.                                          .:«==%£###
##£§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§£##
##£§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§£##
##£§%==«:. ======================================== .:«==%§£##
£££§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§£££
§%==«.....          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) ......:=%§
££%%%==«:.                                          .:«==%%%££
§§=««:::.. ======================================== ..:::««=§§
##£§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§£##
##£§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§£##
§%====«...                                          ...«====%§
##£§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§£##
##£§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§£##