,,«=*¤¶### ###¶¤*=«,,
,,,«=*¤¶## ##¶¤*=«,,,
,,,,«=*¤¶# #¶¤*=«,,,,
,,,,,«=*¤¶ ¶¤*=«,,,,,
,,,,,,«=*¤ ¤*=«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«=* ======================================== *=«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«= =«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«=* 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) ¤*=«,,,,,,
,,,,,«=*¤¶ ¶¤*=«,,,,,
,,,,«=*¤¶# ======================================== #¶¤*=«,,,,
,,,«=*¤¶## ##¶¤*=«,,,
,,«=*¤¶### ###¶¤*=«,,
,,,«=*¤¶## ##¶¤*=«,,,
,,,,«=*¤¶# #¶¤*=«,,,,
,,,,,«=*¤¶ ¶¤*=«,,,,,