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)