¨.~^*§§###                                          ###§§*^~.¨
¨.~^*§§###                                          ###§§*^~.¨
¨¨¨¨~^*§##                                          ##§*^~¨¨¨¨
¨.~^*****§                                          §*****^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~*§                                          §*~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^*§§### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###§§*^~.¨
¨.~^*§§§##                                          ##§§§*^~.¨
¨.~^*§§###          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) ###§§*^~.¨
¨.~~~~~^§§                                          §§^~~~~~.¨
¨.~^*§§### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###§§*^~.¨
¨.~^*§§§§#                                          #§§§§*^~.¨
¨¨¨.~^**§#                                          #§**^~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨..^**§#                                          #§**^..¨¨¨
¨.~^*§§###                                          ###§§*^~.¨
¨.~^*§§###                                          ###§§*^~.¨