¨¨¨¨¨¨#### ##¨¨¨#¨#¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨ ¨¨#¨¨####¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨##¨¨ #¨##¨#¨¨¨#
#¨¨¨¨¨#¨#¨ ¨##¨###¨¨#
¨#¨¨¨¨#### ##¨##¨¨#¨#
###¨¨¨#¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨##¨#¨###
¨¨¨#¨¨##¨¨ ¨¨#¨####¨¨
¨¨¨##¨#¨#¨ 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) ¨#¨¨¨¨¨#¨#
#¨##¨###¨¨ ¨##¨¨¨¨###
¨##¨##¨¨#¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨#¨#¨¨¨#¨¨
¨#¨##¨#¨## #####¨¨##¨
¨###¨####¨ #¨¨¨¨#¨#¨#
##¨¨##¨¨¨# ##¨¨¨#####
¨¨#¨#¨#¨¨# #¨#¨¨#¨¨¨¨
¨¨######¨# ####¨##¨¨¨