¶$**«.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.«**$¶
###&$*:«.¨                                          ¨.«:*$&###
##¶&$*:«.¨                                          ¨.«:*$&¶##
&&$*:«.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.«:*$&&
##¶&$*:«.¨                                          ¨.«:*$&¶##
##¶&$*:«.¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨.«:*$&¶##
&$*:«.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.«:*$&
##¶&$*:«.¨          Mouse girl Likes Shoes          ¨.«:*$&¶##
&&$$*:.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.:*$$&&
##¶&$*:«.¨                :  :  :  :                ¨.«:*$&¶##
#&$$:..¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨..:$$&#
##¶&$*:«.¨ In  This  Dream  I Was  A Girl Of  Maybe ¨.«:*$&¶##
&$$:..¨¨¨¨ Sixteen Years,  Together With My Dad  In ¨¨¨¨..:$$&
¶&$:.¨¨¨¨¨ A Huge  Bath  House  /  Spa  /  Hotel  / ¨¨¨¨¨.:$&¶
¶$$:««¨¨¨¨ Shopping centre.       Dad Was Constatly ¨¨¨¨««:$$¶
#¶¶&$*:«.¨ Pointing Out Hot Girls To  Me.  "You See ¨.«:*$&¶¶#
###¶&*:«.¨   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) ¨¨¨¨¨««*&¶
&&&*«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«*&&&
###&$*:«.¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨.«:*$&###
##¶&$*:«.¨                                          ¨.«:*$&¶##
###¶&$:«.¨                                          ¨.«:$&¶###
&&&&$*:«.¨                                          ¨.«:*$&&&&
¶&***«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«***&¶
##¶&$*:«.¨                                          ¨.«:*$&¶##