=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
*=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=*
=*=,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=*=
$=*=,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,=*=$
§$=*=,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,=*=$§
#§$=*=,¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨,=*=$§#
##§$=*=,¨¨                                          ¨¨,=*=$§##
###§$=*=,¨          Mouse girl Likes Shoes          ¨,=*=$§###
##§$=*=,¨¨                                          ¨¨,=*=$§##
#§$=*=,¨¨¨                *  *  *  *                ¨¨¨,=*=$§#
§$=*=,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,=*=$§
$=*=,¨¨¨¨¨ In This  Dream  I Was  A Girl  Of  Maybe ¨¨¨¨¨,=*=$
=*=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
*=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=*
=*=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=*=
$=*=,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,=*=$
§$=*=,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,=*=$§
#§$=*=,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,=*=$§#
##§$=*=,¨¨                                          ¨¨,=*=$§##
###§$=*=,¨                                          ¨,=*=$§###