¨¨¨¨:\\§§#                                          #§§\\:¨¨¨¨
¨:~\§$#£@#                                          #@£#$§\~:¨
¨:~\§$#@##                                          ##@#$§\~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨~\§§#                                          #§§\~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~\§#£@##                                          ##@£#§\~:¨
¨:~~~~\$#@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @#$\~~~~:¨
¨:~\§$#£##                                          ##£#$§\~:¨
¨:~\§$#£@#          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 -                  @#§~~::¨¨¨
¨:~\§$#@##                                          ##@#$§\~:¨
¨¨¨~~\\§#@                \  \  \  \                @#§\\~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨::~§##                                          ##§~::¨¨¨¨
¨:~\§$£@## (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ##@£$§\~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~\$£                                          £$\~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~\§$#££@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @££#$§\~:¨
¨:~\§$#£@#                                          #@£#$§\~:¨
¨:~\§$#£@@                                          @@£#$§\~:¨
¨:~\§$#£@#                                          #@£#$§\~:¨
¨:~\§$#£@#                                          #@£#$§\~:¨
¨:~\§$#£@#                                          #@£#$§\~:¨