¨¨,=†$*@@#                                          #@@*$†=,¨¨
¨¨¨,=†$*@@                                          @@*$†=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=†$*@                                          @*$†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=†$*                                          *$†=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†$                                          $†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=† †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† †=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=                                          =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          †=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†$                                          $†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=†$*                †  †  †  †                *$†=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=†$*@                                          @*$†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=†$*@@ 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) @*$†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=†$*@@                                          @@*$†=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=†$*@@# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #@@*$†=,¨¨
¨,=†$*@@##                                          ##@@*$†=,¨
¨¨,=†$*@@#                                          #@@*$†=,¨¨
¨¨¨,=†$*@@                                          @@*$†=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=†$*@                                          @*$†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=†$*                                          *$†=,¨¨¨¨¨