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