¨--†§%§@##                                          ##@§%§†--¨
¨¨¨¨--§§§#                                          #§§§--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-††%@@                                          @@%††-¨¨¨¨
¨--†§%§@##                                          ##@§%§†--¨
¨--†§%§@##                                          ##@§%§†--¨
¨--†§%§@## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##@§%§†--¨
¨--†§%§@@@                                          @@@§%§†--¨
¨--†§%§@##          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) ##@§%§†--¨
¨¨¨¨-†%§§@                                          @§§%†-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--†%§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† §%†--¨¨¨¨¨
¨--†§%§###                                          ###§%§†--¨
¨--†§%§@##                                          ##@§%§†--¨
¨--†††§§§#                                          #§§§†††--¨
¨--†§%%%%@                                          @%%%%§†--¨
¨¨¨¨¨-§§@@                                          @@§§-¨¨¨¨¨