##@§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§@##
###§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§###
#§§££*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*££§§#
##@§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§@##
##@§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§@##
#@@§£*/~^¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨^~/*£§@@#
##@§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§@##
§§**~^¨¨¨¨          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) ¨^~/*£§@##
#@£/^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^/£@#
##@§£*/~^¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨^~/*£§@##
#@££*~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~*££@#
##@§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§@##
@@§*~^^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^^~*§@@
##@§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§@##
##@§£*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*£§@##