¨^-^§@@@§@                                          @§@@@§^-^¨
¨¨^^^-^@@@                                          @@@^-^^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--§@§                                          §@§--¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@##                                          ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@##                                          ##@§@§^-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^^@§ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ §@^^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@##                                          ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@##          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) §@@^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@##                                          ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^^^§§§# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #§§§^^^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@##                                          ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@##                                          ##@§@§^-^¨
¨¨¨¨^^@§§@                                          @§§@^^¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@##                                          ##@§@§^-^¨
¨¨¨¨--^§§§                                          §§§^--¨¨¨¨