**†=,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,=†**
§**†=,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,=†**§
#§**†=,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,=†**§#
##§**†=,¨¨                                          ¨¨,=†**§##
###§**†=,¨                                          ¨,=†**§###
##§**†=,¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨,=†**§##
#§**†=,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,=†**§#
§**†=,¨¨¨¨          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) ¨¨¨¨¨,=†**
§**†=,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,=†**§
#§**†=,¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨,=†**§#
##§**†=,¨¨                                          ¨¨,=†**§##
###§**†=,¨                                          ¨,=†**§###
##§**†=,¨¨                                          ¨¨,=†**§##
#§**†=,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,=†**§#
§**†=,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,=†**§