##£§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§£##
###§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§###
###§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§###
§$$=;;~~.¨                                          ¨.~~;;=$$§
££§§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§§££
###§$=;~.¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨.~;=$§###
##£§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§£##
#£§§$=;~.¨          mouse girl likes shoes          ¨.~;=$§§£#
£§==~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~==§£
###§$=;~.¨                ;  ;  ;  ;                ¨.~;=$§###
§§$$;.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.;$$§§
##£§$=;~.¨ in  this dream  i was  a  girl of  maybe ¨.~;=$§£##
§=~~~¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨.~~~==§§£
§$$$=;;~.¨                                          ¨.~;;=$$$§
#§$=~...¨¨ she lay down in a patch of grass. i  sat ¨¨...~=$§#
##£§$=;~.¨ down  on  my  knees,  and  then  crawled ¨.~;=$§£##
##£§$=;~.¨ closer.  she laughed  at me  again,  and ¨.~;=$§£##
###£§$=;~.                  said -                  .~;=$§£###
##£§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§£##
#£§$=;~¨¨¨                ;  ;  ;  ;                ¨¨¨~;=$§£#
##£§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§£##
##£§$=;~.¨ (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ¨.~;=$§£##
§=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~=§
§§§$;.¨¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨¨.;$§§§
#£§$$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$$§£#
##£§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§£##
##£§$=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=$§£##
#£$==~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~==$£#
§§$;..¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨..;$§§