¨~==†¤#@##                                          ##@#¤†==~¨
¨¨¨~~==†##                                          ##†==~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨==¤@                                          @¤==¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~==†¤#@##                                          ##@#¤†==~¨
¨~==†¤#@##                                          ##@#¤†==~¨
¨~==†¤#@## ======================================== ##@#¤†==~¨
¨~==†¤#@##                                          ##@#¤†==~¨
¨~==†¤####          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) @##¤¤†==~¨
¨~==¤#@###                                          ###@#¤==~¨
¨~~~=†††#@ ======================================== @#†††=~~~¨
¨~==††¤¤@#                                          #@¤¤††==~¨
¨~==†¤@###                                          ###@¤†==~¨
¨~==†¤#@@#                                          #@@#¤†==~¨
¨~==††¤###                                          ###¤††==~¨
¨~==†¤#@##                                          ##@#¤†==~¨