###&$%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%$&###
##&$%†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†%$&##
#&$%†~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~†%$&#
&$%†~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~†%$&
$%†~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~†%$
%†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†%
†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨          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 -                  ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                †  †  †  †                ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†
%†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†%
$%†~^¨¨¨¨¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨¨¨¨¨^~†%$
&$%†~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~†%$&
#&$%†~^¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨^~†%$&#
##&$%†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†%$&##
###&$%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%$&###
##&$%†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†%$&##
#&$%†~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~†%$&#
&$%†~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~†%$&