¨¨¨¨¨^~†$@                                          @$†~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~†$@#                                          #@$†~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~†$@#@                                          @#@$†~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~†$@#@#                                          #@#@$†~^¨¨
¨^~†$@#@##                                          ##@#@$†~^¨
¨¨^~†$@#@# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #@#@$†~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~†$@#@                                          @#@$†~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~†$@#          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          #@$†~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~†$@                                          @$†~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†$                †  †  †  †                $†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†                                          †~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ IN  THIS DREAM  I  WAS  A  GIRL OF MAYBE ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~† SIXTEEN YEARS,  TOGETHER  WITH MY DAD IN †~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†$ 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 -                  @#@$†~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~†$@#                                          #@$†~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~†$@                †  †  †  †                @$†~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†$                                          $†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~† (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) †~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~† †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† †~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†$                                          $†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~†$@                                          @$†~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~†$@#                                          #@$†~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~†$@#@                                          @#@$†~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~†$@#@#                                          #@#@$†~^¨¨