,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§                                          §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@                                          @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@#                                          #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ **************************************** @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@                *  *  *  *                @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@#                                          #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ IN  THIS DREAM  I  WAS A  GIRL  OF MAYBE @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY DAD IN £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE /  SPA  /  HOTEL  / §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ SHOPPING CENTRE.      DAD WAS  CONSTATLY £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ POINTING OUT HOT  GIRLS TO ME.  "YOU SEE @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@#   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ SAY.  HE  WAS  ALWAYS VERY CREEPY  ABOUT £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ THIS,   GOING    FOR   GIRLS   MY   AGE. §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ THIS NIGHT HE HAD  JUST TRIED  TO WOO  A @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# GIRL HE CALLED  A  "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ SHOES,  BUT SHE  HAD ACCEPTED THEM  ONLY @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ TO RUN  AWAY  IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ WAS   A   BIT  BUMMED  BUT   DROPPED  IT §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ QUICKLY.  I SAID GOODNIGHT  TO  HIM  AND £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@       WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE.        @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@#                                          #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ THE BUILDING  WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ WALLS, FLOORS  AND  PILLARS WERE SET  IN £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ GREEN  MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE  HOUSE RAN §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ A  MAIN  BOULEVARD, WIDE  AS  A  STREET, £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ FRAMED  WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS OBSIDIAN @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# AND  TALLER THAN A  PERSON. IN EACH VASE #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ WAS  PLACED UPRIGHT  A  LEAF FROM A PALM @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ TREE  OR GIANT FERN.  THE  BOULEVARD WAS £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ DIMLY LIT,  WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£   WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT   £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@   EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE    @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@#          PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE.         #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@                                          @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                *  *  *  *                £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§                                          §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ FOLLOWING  THE BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS  UP £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ I  FOUND  HER  CRYING  BEHIND  TWO  FERN @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# VASES.  SHE  WAS  BEAUTIFUL,  AND  AS  I #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ APPROACHED, SHE  LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ IN  THE  NEAREST  VASE  SHE  HAD STUFFED £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§              BOTH THE SHOES.             §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ I  TOLD HER  TO FOLLOW,  BUT  SHE DIDN'T @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# MOVE  OR  SPEAK. SO  INSTEAD I  SAID  TO #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ STAY THERE, AND  RAN TO GET HER A BETTER @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ PAIR  OF  SHOES THAT SHE  WOULD ACTUALLY £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ LIKE.  WHEN  I  RETURNED,  HAVING  SPENT §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ MORE  THAN I COULD  REALLY  AFFORD,  SHE £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ WAS VISIBLY IMPRESSED.  I TRIED TO SOUND @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# COOL,  SAYING  SOMETHING LIKE  "WHAT  DO #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ YOU  THINK,  JUST BECAUSE A  GIRL HAS  A @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ FREAKY  DAD, SHE  DOESN'T  HAVE  TASTE?" £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ BUT  MOUSE  GIRL  JUST  LAUGHED  AT  ME. §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ SHE THEN  TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# OUT   A  SIDE  ROUTE  TO   A  CLOSED-OFF #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL  OF JUNIPER @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ AND THUJA.  IT WAS A LATE  EVENING,  AND £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT  TURNED £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ OFF, BUT  WE  COULD  STILL  SEE OUR  WAY @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# AROUND BY THE LIGHT  SHINING  DOWN  FROM #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@ THE   WINDOWS   OF  THE  HIGHER  FLOORS. @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§ SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@ CLOSER. SHE  LAUGHED  AT  ME AGAIN,  AND @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@#                  SAID -                  #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@                                          @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                *  *  *  *                £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§                                          §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@                                          @£§$=*«,,,
,,«*=$§£@# **************************************** #@£§$=*«,,
,,,«*=$§£@                                          @£§$=*«,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,,,«*=$§                                          §$=*«,,,,,
,,,,«*=$§£                                          £§$=*«,,,,
,,,«*=$§£@                                          @£§$=*«,,,