¨^^^/**$$¶                                          ¶$$**/^^^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~/$¤¤                                          ¤¤$/~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~*¤                                          ¤*~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¶###                                          ###¶$*/~^¨
¨¨^^^/*¤¤¶ //////////////////////////////////////// ¶¤¤*/^^^¨¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨¨¨¨^/$¤¤¤          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¤¤¤$/^¨¨¨¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                /  /  /  /                ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~*¤#                                          #¤*~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨^^^^/**¤ 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 ¤$$*//^^^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨~/*$¤¶### CLOSED,  THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED ###¶¤$*/~¨
¨^~/*$¤¶## OFF,  BUT  WE COULD STILL  SEE  OUR  WAY ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶## AROUND BY THE  LIGHT  SHINING  DOWN FROM ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶## THE   WINDOWS  OF  THE   HIGHER  FLOORS. ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*¤¶###                                          ###¶¤*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶## SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/****¤¤ DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ¤¤****/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^/$¶¶ CLOSER. SHE  LAUGHED  AT  ME AGAIN,  AND ¶¶$/^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/*$$$$¤                  SAID -                  ¤$$$$*/~^¨
¨^~*$¤¶###                                          ###¶¤$*~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                /  /  /  /                ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶## (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶¶#                                          #¶¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶## //////////////////////////////////////// ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨¨¨^~*$$$¤                                          ¤$$$*~^¨¨¨
¨^~/*$¶###                                          ###¶$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*/~^¨