##%***†«-¨ ¨-«†***%##
###¤%*†«-¨ ¨-«†*%¤###
###¤%*†«-¨ ¨-«†*%¤###
###¤%*†«-¨ ¨-«†*%¤###
#¤¤¤%*†«-¨ ¨-«†*%¤¤¤#
###¤%*†«-¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨-«†*%¤###
###¤%*†«-¨ ¨-«†*%¤###
####%*†«-¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨«*¤##
¤¤¤***†«-¨ ¨-«†***¤¤¤
###¤%*†«-¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨-«†*%¤###
¤¤¤¤%*†«-¨ ¨-«†*%¤¤¤¤
¤¤%†«-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-«†%¤¤
¤¤**«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«**¤¤
##¤%†««--¨ ¨--««†%¤##
##%†-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-†%##