....,«/%§@                                          @§%/«,....
...,«/%§@#                                          #@§%/«,...
..,«/%§@##                                          ##@§%/«,..
.,«/%§@###                                          ###@§%/«,.
..,«/%§@##                                          ##@§%/«,..
...,«/%§@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@§%/«,...
....,«/%§@                                          @§%/«,....
.....,«/%§          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) %/«,......
.......,«/                                          /«,.......
......,«/% //////////////////////////////////////// %/«,......
.....,«/%§                                          §%/«,.....
....,«/%§@                                          @§%/«,....
...,«/%§@#                                          #@§%/«,...
..,«/%§@##                                          ##@§%/«,..
.,«/%§@###                                          ###@§%/«,.