......:=%§                                          §%=:......
.:«=%%§£##                                          ##£§%%=«:.
.:«=%%§£##                                          ##£§%%=«:.
.:«=%%§£##                                          ##£§%%=«:.
.:::«=%%§£                                          £§%%=«:::.
...:«=%§§# ======================================== #§§%=«:...
.:«=%%§£##                                          ##£§%%=«:.
.:«=%%§§££          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) ##£§%%=«:.
...:«=%§§#                                          #§§%=«:...
.....«%§£# ======================================== #£§%«.....
...:«%%%£#                                          #£%%%«:...
.....:==%§                                          §%==:.....
.:«=%%§£##                                          ##£§%%=«:.
.:«=%%§£##                                          ##£§%%=«:.
.:«=%%§£##                                          ##£§%%=«:.