¨:~/%#@###                                          ###@#%/~:¨
¨:~/%§#@@#                                          #@@#§%/~:¨
¨:~/%§####                                          ####§%/~:¨
¨:~/%§#@##                                          ##@#§%/~:¨
¨:~/%§####                                          ####§%/~:¨
¨:::/%%### //////////////////////////////////////// ###%%/:::¨
¨:~/%§#@##                                          ##@#§%/~:¨
¨:~/%§#@##          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) @@@#§%/~:¨
¨:~~~~/§##                                          ##§/~~~~:¨
¨:~/%§#@## //////////////////////////////////////// ##@#§%/~:¨
¨:~/%§@###                                          ###@§%/~:¨
¨:~/%§###@                                          @###§%/~:¨
¨::~~~%%##                                          ##%%~~~::¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~%%#                                          #%%~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~%§#@@                                          @@#§%~~¨¨¨