#¨¨¨####¨# #####¨#¨¨¨
##¨¨#¨¨¨## ¨¨¨¨¨###¨¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨#¨
#####¨#¨## ¨¨¨¨¨##¨##
¨¨¨¨¨####¨ ¨¨¨¨¨#¨##¨
¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #¨¨¨¨###¨#
#¨¨¨¨##¨¨# ##¨¨¨#¨¨##
¨#¨¨¨#¨#¨# 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) ###¨#¨¨¨#¨
¨¨¨#¨¨#¨## #¨¨###¨¨##
#¨¨##¨###¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##¨#¨¨#¨#¨
##¨#¨##¨¨# ¨¨###¨####
¨¨####¨#¨# ¨¨#¨¨##¨¨¨
¨¨#¨¨¨#### ¨¨##¨#¨#¨¨
¨¨##¨¨#¨¨¨ ¨¨#¨#####¨
¨¨#¨#¨##¨¨ #¨###¨¨¨¨#