.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#                                          #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#                                          #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#                \  \  \  \                #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶# IN  THIS  DREAM  I  WAS A GIRL  OF MAYBE #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶## 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) ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#                                          #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#                                          #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#                                          #¶&$$\«:..
.:«\$$&¶##                                          ##¶&$$\«:.
..:«\$$&¶#                                          #¶&$$\«:..