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)