....~«*%&¶                                          ¶&%*«~....
.....«*%%&                                          &%%*«.....
....~«:%%¶                                          ¶%%:«~....
.~«:*%&¶##                                          ##¶&%*:«~.
.....«*%¶¶                                          ¶¶%*«.....
.~«:*%&¶## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##¶&%*:«~.
.~«:*%&¶##                                          ##¶&%*:«~.
.~«:*%&¶##          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) ###¶&*:«~.
....~«*%¶¶                                          ¶¶%*«~....
.~«:*%&¶## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##¶&%*:«~.
.~«:*****&                                          &*****:«~.
.....~~:%¶                                          ¶%:~~.....
....~«**%&                                          &%**«~....
.~«:*%&¶##                                          ##¶&%*:«~.
.~«:*%&¶##                                          ##¶&%*:«~.