&$$§§»,,,,                                          ,,,,»§§$$&
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
#$$$§»,,,,                                          ,,,,»§$$$#
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
####$§†»,, †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,,»†§$####
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,,          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ,,»†§$&###
#&§††»»»,,                                          ,,»»»††§&#
##$†,,,,,,                †  †  †  †                ,,,,,,†$##
##$$†,,,,,                                          ,,,,,†$$##
&$§§§»»»,, IN  THIS  DREAM I  WAS  A GIRL OF  MAYBE ,,»»»§§§$&
###&$§†»,, SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY DAD IN ,,»†§$&###
####&$†»,, A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  / HOTEL  / ,,»†$&####
####&$†»,, SHOPPING CENTRE.       DAD WAS CONSTATLY ,,»†$&####
###&$§†»,, POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME.  "YOU  SEE ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,,   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,, BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D ,,»†§$&###
##$†,,,,,, SAY.  HE WAS ALWAYS  VERY  CREEPY  ABOUT ,,,,,,†$##
###&$§†»,, THIS,    GOING   FOR   GIRLS   MY   AGE. ,,»†§$&###
#&$†,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,†$&#
##&$†,,,,, THIS  NIGHT HE HAD  JUST  TRIED TO WOO A ,,,,,†$&##
###&$§†»,, GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE"  BY  BUYING HER ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,, SHOES,  BUT SHE HAD  ACCEPTED  THEM ONLY ,,»†§$&###
&§»»,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,»»§&#
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,, SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH  OF GRASS. I SAT ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,, DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ,,»†§$&###
#&$††»,,,, CLOSER. SHE  LAUGHED AT  ME  AGAIN,  AND ,,,,»††$&#
###&$§†»,,                  SAID -                  ,,»†§$&###
##&§»,,,,,                                          ,,,,,»§&##
###&$§†»,,                †  †  †  †                ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
###&$§†»,, (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ,,»†§$&###
&§†,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,†§&
#&&$$§†»,, †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,,»†§$$&&#
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
#&$§†»»,,,                                          ,,,»»†§$&#
&&§†»,,,,,                                          ,,,,,»†§&&
###&$§†»,,                                          ,,»†§$&###
&§»,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,»§&