###¤*%†»~¨                                          ¨~»†%*¤###
##¤*%†»~¨¨                                          ¨¨~»†%*¤##
#¤*%†»~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~»†%*¤#
¤*%†»~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~»†%*¤
*%†»~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~»†%*
%†»~¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨~»†%
†»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»†
%†»~¨¨¨¨¨¨          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) ¨¨¨¨¨~»†%*
¤*%†»~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~»†%*¤
#¤*%†»~¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨~»†%*¤#
##¤*%†»~¨¨                                          ¨¨~»†%*¤##
###¤*%†»~¨                                          ¨~»†%*¤###
##¤*%†»~¨¨                                          ¨¨~»†%*¤##
#¤*%†»~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~»†%*¤#
¤*%†»~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~»†%*¤