#@£&$%/=-¨                                          ¨-=/%$&£@#
##£&$%/=-¨                                          ¨-=/%$&£##
&&%/-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-/%&&
#@£&$%/=-¨                                          ¨-=/%$&£@#
#@£&$%/=-¨                                          ¨-=/%$&£@#
&$/-¨¨¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨¨¨-/$&
&$%%%/-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-/%%%$&
&$%//-¨¨¨¨          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¨¨¨¨-//%$&
&%////---¨                                          ¨---////%&
##£&$%/=-¨                /  /  /  /                ¨-=/%$&£##
£$$/-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-/$$£
&$/=¨¨¨¨¨¨ IN  THIS DREAM I  WAS  A  GIRL  OF MAYBE ¨¨¨¨¨¨=/$&
&&%%==¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨-=/%&£@##
##£&$%/=-¨                                          ¨-=/%$&£##
@&$//==--¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨--==//$&@
#@£&$%/=-¨                                          ¨-=/%$&£@#
£&$$/--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--/$$&£
@£$/=¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨=/$£@
#@£&$%/=-¨                                          ¨-=/%$&£@#
££$///==-¨                                          ¨-==///$££