¤@%/~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~/%@¤
@%/~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~/%@
%/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/%
/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/
%/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/%
@%/~,¨¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨¨,~/%@
¤@%/~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~/%@¤
£¤@%/~,¨¨¨          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) ¨¨,~/%@¤£@
#@£¤@%/~,¨                                          ¨,~/%@¤£@#
@£¤@%/~,¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨,~/%@¤£@
£¤@%/~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~/%@¤£
¤@%/~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~/%@¤
@%/~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~/%@
%/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/%
/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/