%^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^%
§%^-,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%§
§§%^-,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,-^%§§
#§§%^-,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,-^%§§#
@#§§%^-,¨¨                                          ¨¨,-^%§§#@
#@#§§%^-,¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨,-^%§§#@#
@#§§%^-,¨¨                                          ¨¨,-^%§§#@
#§§%^-,¨¨¨          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) ¨¨¨¨,-^%§§
§%^-,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%§
%^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^%
^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^
%^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^%
§%^-,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,-^%§
§§%^-,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,-^%§§
#§§%^-,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,-^%§§#