.-=†%$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$%†=-.
...==†$$¤#                                          #¤$$†==...
.....-†$$¤                                          ¤$$†-.....
.....-†$¤¤                                          ¤¤$†-.....
.....-†$¤#                                          #¤$†-.....
.-=†%$¤### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ###¤$%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$%†=-.
...=††%$$¤          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¤$$%††=...
.-=†%$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¶##                †  †  †  †                ##¶¤$%†=-.
.-=†%¤¶###                                          ###¶¤%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¶## IN  THIS  DREAM I  WAS A  GIRL OF  MAYBE ##¶¤$%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¶## SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER  WITH MY DAD IN ##¶¤$%†=-.
..--==%%$¶ A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  / SPA  /  HOTEL  / ¶$%%==--..
....===%$¶ SHOPPING CENTRE.       DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¶$%===....
.-=†%$¤¶## POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO  ME. "YOU  SEE ##¶¤$%†=-.
....-††$$¶   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   ¶$$††-....
...-=†%%¤# 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 ¤%=.......
.-=†%$¤¶## THE   WINDOWS  OF   THE  HIGHER  FLOORS. ##¶¤$%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$%†=-.
.-=†%$$$¶¶ SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¶¶$$$%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¶## DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ##¶¤$%†=-.
..-=†%$¤¶¶ CLOSER.  SHE LAUGHED  AT ME  AGAIN,  AND ¶¶¤$%†=-..
....-†$$¶#                  SAID -                  #¶$$†-....
....-†††$¶                                          ¶$†††-....
.-=†%$¤¶##                †  †  †  †                ##¶¤$%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¤¶#                                          #¶¤¤$%†=-.
.-=†%%%%$¶ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¶$%%%%†=-.
.-=†%$$$$¶                                          ¶$$$$%†=-.
.-=†%$¤¶## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##¶¤$%†=-.
......-†$¤                                          ¤$†-......
.-=†%$¤¶¶#                                          #¶¶¤$%†=-.
..----=%%¤                                          ¤%%=----..
.--=†%%¤¶¶                                          ¶¶¤%%†=--.
.-=†%$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$%†=-.