¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&                                          &=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~†=&@###                                          ###@&=†~,¨
¨,~†=%&@##                                          ##@&%=†~,¨
¨,~†=%&@##                                          ##@&%=†~,¨
¨,~†=%&@@@                                          @@@&%=†~,¨
¨¨,,,††=%& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &%=††,,,¨¨
¨,~†=%&@##                                          ##@&%=†~,¨
¨,~†=%&@##          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) ##@&%=†~,¨
¨,~†=%&@##                                          ##@&%=†~,¨
¨¨¨¨,,†%&# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #&%†,,¨¨¨¨
¨,~†=%&@##                                          ##@&%=†~,¨
¨¨¨¨,~~†=&                                          &=†~~,¨¨¨¨
¨,~†===&&@                                          @&&===†~,¨
¨,~†=%&@##                                          ##@&%=†~,¨
¨¨¨¨,†=&@#                                          #@&=†,¨¨¨¨