...,===$£@                                          @£$===,...
....,===$£                                          £$===,....
.....,===$                                          $===,.....
......,===                                          ===,......
.......,==                                          ==,.......
......,=== ======================================== ===,......
.....,===$                                          $===,.....
....,===$£          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) @£$===,...
..,===$£@@                                          @@£$===,..
.,===$£@@# ======================================== #@@£$===,.
..,===$£@@                                          @@£$===,..
...,===$£@                                          @£$===,...
....,===$£                                          £$===,....
.....,===$                                          $===,.....
......,===                                          ===,......