¨¨¨#¨##### #####¨¨¨¨#
¨¨###¨¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨##
¨#¨¨#¨¨¨#¨ ¨¨¨##¨¨#¨#
##¨##¨¨### ¨¨#¨#¨####
¨##¨#¨#¨¨¨ ¨#####¨¨¨¨
#¨#####¨¨# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨
##¨¨¨¨#¨## #¨¨¨##¨¨¨#
¨#¨¨¨###¨# 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) ¨¨##¨¨¨¨##
#####¨¨#¨# ¨#¨#¨¨¨#¨¨
¨¨¨¨#¨#### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ####¨¨##¨#
¨¨¨###¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨#¨#¨###
¨¨#¨¨#¨¨¨¨ ¨¨#####¨¨#
¨##¨##¨¨¨¨ ¨#¨¨¨¨#¨##
#¨##¨#¨¨¨# ##¨¨¨###¨#
##¨###¨¨## ¨#¨¨#¨¨##¨