###¨¨#¨¨¨¨ ##¨##¨¨¨#¨
¨¨#¨##¨¨¨¨ ¨##¨#¨¨###
¨###¨#¨¨¨# #¨###¨#¨¨#
#¨¨###¨¨#¨ ##¨¨###¨##
#¨#¨¨#¨### ¨#¨#¨¨##¨¨
###¨###¨¨# ======================================== ####¨#¨#¨#
¨¨##¨¨#¨## ¨¨¨######¨
¨#¨#¨###¨¨ 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) #¨#¨¨¨¨¨¨#
¨#¨##¨##¨# ###¨¨¨¨¨##
###¨##¨##¨ ======================================== ¨¨#¨¨¨¨#¨#
¨¨##¨##¨## ¨##¨¨¨###¨
¨#¨##¨##¨¨ #¨#¨¨#¨¨#¨
###¨##¨#¨¨ ###¨##¨##¨
¨¨##¨###¨# ¨¨##¨##¨##
¨#¨##¨¨### ¨#¨##¨##¨#