¨¨¨,~/*§¤#                                          #¤§*/~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~/*§¤##                                          ##¤§*/~,¨¨
¨,~/*§¤###                                          ###¤§*/~,¨
¨¨,~/*§¤##                                          ##¤§*/~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~/*§¤#                                          #¤§*/~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~/*§¤ //////////////////////////////////////// ¤§*/~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~/*§                                          §*/~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/*          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) /~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/*                                          */~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~/*§ //////////////////////////////////////// §*/~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~/*§¤                                          ¤§*/~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~/*§¤#                                          #¤§*/~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~/*§¤##                                          ##¤§*/~,¨¨
¨,~/*§¤###                                          ###¤§*/~,¨
¨¨,~/*§¤##                                          ##¤§*/~,¨¨