##¶£$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$£¶##
£§§§«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«§§§£
#£$$$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$$$£#
##¶£$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$£¶##
£$§:«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«:§$£
#££§««««,¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨,««««§££#
¶£§§«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«§§£¶
##¶£$§:«,¨          mouse girl likes shoes          ¨,«:§$£¶##
##¶£$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$£¶##
#£$$:::«,¨                :  :  :  :                ¨,«:::$$£#
#£$§:«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«:§$£#
#££$:,,,¨¨ in this dream i  was  a  girl  of  maybe ¨¨,,,:$££#
##¶£$§:«,¨ sixteen  years, together with my  dad in ¨,«:§$£¶##
¶$§::«,,¨¨ a  huge  bath  house  /  spa /  hotel  / ¨¨,,«::§$¶
£§«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨,«§£#
¶¶£$::,¨¨¨ closer.  she laughed at  me  again,  and ¨¨¨,::$£¶¶
¶$§§:,¨¨¨¨                  said -                  ¨¨¨¨,:§§$¶
##¶£$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$£¶##
¶$§«,¨¨¨¨¨                :  :  :  :                ¨¨¨¨¨,«§$¶
##¶£$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$£¶##
¶$$:,¨¨¨¨¨ (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ¨¨¨¨¨,:$$¶
##¶£$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$£¶##
##¶£$§:«,¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨,«:§$£¶##
#££§««««,¨                                          ¨,««««§££#
¶¶¶£$§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§$£¶¶¶
£££§§§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§§§£££
¶£$$§««,¨¨                                          ¨¨,««§$$£¶
££§«,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,«§££