¨.«\§$#¶##                                          ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨.«\§§§$¶#                                          #¶$§§§\«.¨
¨.«\\\$$##                                          ##$$\\\«.¨
¨.«\§$#¶##                                          ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨.«\§$#¶##                                          ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨«\§$#¶### \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ###¶#$§\«¨
¨¨¨¨.\$##¶                                          ¶##$\.¨¨¨¨
¨.«\§$#¶¶¶          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¶¶¶#$§\«.¨
¨¨¨¨.««\$¶                                          ¶$\««.¨¨¨¨
¨.«\§$#¶##                \  \  \  \                ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.«\$¶                                          ¶$\«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«\§$#¶## IN  THIS DREAM  I  WAS A GIRL  OF  MAYBE ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.«§## SIXTEEN YEARS,  TOGETHER  WITH MY DAD IN ##§«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«\§$#¶## A HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  /  HOTEL  / ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨.«\§$##¶# SHOPPING CENTRE.      DAD WAS  CONSTATLY #¶##$§\«.¨
¨¨¨..«««§# POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS  TO ME. "YOU  SEE #§«««..¨¨¨
¨.«\§$#¶##   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨¨¨¨.\§### BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D ###§\.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.«\\$¶# SAY. HE  WAS  ALWAYS  VERY CREEPY  ABOUT #¶$\\«.¨¨¨
¨.«\\\$#¶# THIS,   GOING   FOR    GIRLS   MY   AGE. #¶#$\\\«.¨
.«\§$#¶###                                          ###¶#$§\«.
¨¨¨¨¨..\§# THIS NIGHT  HE  HAD JUST TRIED  TO WOO A #§\..¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«\§$#¶## GIRL  HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING  HER ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨¨¨«\§§$$¶ 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) ##§\.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«\§§$###                                          ###$§§\«.¨
¨¨¨¨.\§§$# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #$§§\.¨¨¨¨
¨.«\$#¶###                                          ###¶#$\«.¨
¨.«§$#¶###                                          ###¶#$§«.¨
¨..««\\§##                                          ##§\\««..¨
¨.«\§$#¶##                                          ##¶#$§\«.¨
¨.«\§$#¶##                                          ##¶#$§\«.¨