¨^==†£¤###                                          ###¤£†==^¨
¨^==†£¤###                                          ###¤£†==^¨
¨¨¨¨^==££¤                                          ¤££==^¨¨¨¨
¨^==†£¤###                                          ###¤£†==^¨
¨^==†£¤###                                          ###¤£†==^¨
¨¨¨¨^^^=£# ======================================== #£=^^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^=†¤¤                                          ¤¤†=^^¨¨¨¨
¨^==†£¤###          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) ##¤£==¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨=†††¤                                          ¤†††=¨¨¨¨¨
¨^==†£¤### ======================================== ###¤£†==^¨
¨¨¨^==†††¤                                          ¤†††==^¨¨¨
¨^^^==†££#                                          #££†==^^^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=†¤#                                          #¤†=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨^^^=££¤#                                          #¤££=^^^¨¨
¨^==†£¤###                                          ###¤£†==^¨