¨¨¨««†%###                                          ###%†««¨¨¨
¨~«\†%####                                          ####%†\«~¨
¨~«\†%####                                          ####%†\«~¨
¨~«\†%####                                          ####%†\«~¨
¨~«\\†††%#                                          #%†††\\«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~\%# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #%\~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨~««†††%#                                          #%†††««~¨¨
¨~«\†%####          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) ####%†\«~¨
¨~«\†%####                                          ####%†\«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~\%%# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #%%\~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~«\†%####                                          ####%†\«~¨
¨~«\†%####                                          ####%†\«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«\†#                                          #†\«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~«\††%%##                                          ##%%††\«~¨
¨~~~«††###                                          ###††«~~~¨