#¨##¨¨¨¨¨# ##¨##¨##¨¨
¨¨###¨¨¨¨¨ ##¨##¨###¨
¨¨#¨##¨¨¨¨ ##¨##¨#¨##
#¨¨¨###¨¨¨ ##¨##¨¨¨##
##¨¨#¨##¨¨ ##¨###¨¨#¨
###¨¨¨###¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ##¨#¨##¨¨¨
#¨##¨¨#¨## ##¨¨¨###¨¨
¨¨###¨¨¨## 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) ###¨¨¨¨#¨¨
¨¨###¨¨#¨# #¨##¨¨¨¨#¨
¨¨#¨##¨¨¨# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨###¨¨¨¨#
#¨¨¨###¨¨# ¨¨#¨##¨¨¨¨
¨#¨¨#¨##¨¨ ¨¨¨¨###¨¨¨
¨¨#¨¨¨###¨ ¨¨¨¨#¨##¨¨
¨¨¨#¨¨#¨## #¨¨¨¨¨###¨
¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨## ¨#¨¨¨¨#¨##