¨###¨#¨##¨ ¨¨####¨##¨
¨#¨¨####¨# #¨#¨¨¨##¨#
###¨#¨¨¨## ¨###¨¨#¨##
¨¨¨###¨¨#¨ ##¨¨#¨###¨
¨¨¨#¨¨#¨## #¨#¨###¨¨#
#¨¨##¨###¨ //////////////////////////////////////// #####¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨##¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨#¨###
######¨#¨# 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) ¨¨#¨#¨#¨¨#
¨¨¨¨#####¨ #¨######¨#
#¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨# //////////////////////////////////////// ¨##¨¨¨¨¨##
¨#¨¨##¨¨¨# ##¨#¨¨¨¨#¨
¨##¨#¨#¨¨# ¨¨###¨¨¨##
##¨#####¨# ¨¨#¨¨#¨¨#¨
#¨##¨¨¨¨## #¨##¨##¨##
¨##¨#¨¨¨#¨ ¨##¨##¨##¨