,,,,:~*§£¶                                          ¶£§*~:,,,,
,,,:~*§£¶@                                          @¶£§*~:,,,
,,:~*§£¶@#                                          #@¶£§*~:,,
,:~*§£¶@##                                          ##@¶£§*~:,
,,:~*§£¶@#                                          #@¶£§*~:,,
,,,:~*§£¶@ **************************************** @¶£§*~:,,,
,,,,:~*§£¶                                          ¶£§*~:,,,,
,,,,,:~*§£          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) §*~:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:~*                                          *~:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:~*§ **************************************** §*~:,,,,,,
,,,,,:~*§£                                          £§*~:,,,,,
,,,,:~*§£¶                                          ¶£§*~:,,,,
,,,:~*§£¶@                                          @¶£§*~:,,,
,,:~*§£¶@#                                          #@¶£§*~:,,
,:~*§£¶@##                                          ##@¶£§*~:,