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)