¨¨¨-«†%@§¶                                          ¶§@%†«-¨¨¨
¨¨-«†%@§¶@                                          @¶§@%†«-¨¨
¨-«†%@§¶@#                                          #@¶§@%†«-¨
¨¨-«†%@§¶@                                          @¶§@%†«-¨¨
¨¨¨-«†%@§¶                                          ¶§@%†«-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-«†%@§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† §@%†«-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-«†%@§¶                                          ¶§@%†«-¨¨¨
¨¨-«†%@§¶@          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) #@¶§@%†«-¨
¨¨-«†%@§¶@                                          @¶§@%†«-¨¨
¨¨¨-«†%@§¶ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¶§@%†«-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-«†%@§                                          §@%†«-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-«†%@§¶                                          ¶§@%†«-¨¨¨
¨¨-«†%@§¶@                                          @¶§@%†«-¨¨
¨-«†%@§¶@#                                          #@¶§@%†«-¨
¨¨-«†%@§¶@                                          @¶§@%†«-¨¨