#¨###¨¨¨## ¨##¨¨####¨
##¨¨#¨¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨¨##
¨#¨##¨##¨¨ #####¨¨#¨¨
###¨##¨#¨¨ ¨¨¨¨#¨##¨¨
¨¨##¨###¨¨ ¨¨¨###¨#¨#
¨#¨##¨¨#¨# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨#¨¨#####
###¨#¨###¨ ¨##¨#¨¨¨¨#
¨¨####¨¨#¨ 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) ¨¨###¨##¨#
#¨##¨¨¨#¨# ¨#¨¨##¨###
##¨#¨¨#### :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##¨#¨##¨¨¨
¨###¨#¨¨¨# ¨####¨#¨¨#
#¨¨###¨¨## #¨¨¨###¨##
#¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ #¨¨#¨¨##¨¨
###¨####¨¨ #¨##¨#¨#¨#
¨¨##¨¨¨#¨# ##¨######¨