,,,^^^%¤¤#                                          #¤¤%^^^,,,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,,,,,,~^$#                                          #$^~,,,,,,
,^~^%$¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,^^%$¤#### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ####¤$%^^,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤###          mouse girl likes shoes          ###¤$%^~^,
,,,,~^%¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤%^~,,,,
,^~^%$¤###                ^  ^  ^  ^                ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$#### in  this  dream  i was a  girl of  maybe ####$%^~^,
,,,,^~%%¤# 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     ¤¤%~~^,,,,
,^~^%$¤### closed, the  garden had its light turned ###¤$%^~^,
,,,,,^~%$# off,  but  we could still  see  our  way #$%~^,,,,,
,^~^%$¤### around  by the  light  shining down from ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤¤¤¤ the  windows   of   the  higher  floors. ¤¤¤¤$%^~^,
,,,,^~^%$#                                          #$%^~^,,,,
,,,,,,~%$¤ she lay down in  a patch of grass. i sat ¤$%~,,,,,,
,,,~~~^$## down  on  my  knees,  and  then  crawled ##$^~~~,,,
,^~^%$¤### closer.  she  laughed  at me again,  and ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤###                  said -                  ###¤$%^~^,
,,,^^^%$$#                                          #$$%^^^,,,
,^~^%$¤###                ^  ^  ^  ^                ###¤$%^~^,
,,,,^^%$¤#                                          #¤$%^^,,,,
,,,,,,~%$# (here i am awakened by the morning crew) #$%~,,,,,,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,^~^%$¤###                                          ###¤$%^~^,
,,,^~^%%$¤                                          ¤$%%^~^,,,
,,,,^^%%¤¤                                          ¤¤%%^^,,,,