###&$$\~,. .,~\$$##
##&$$\~,.. ..,~\$$#
#&$$\~,... ...,~\$$
&$$\~,.... ....,~\$$&
$$\~,..... .....,~\$$
$\~,...... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ......,~\$
\~,....... .......,~\
~,........ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ........,~
,......... .........,
~,........ \ \ \ \ ........,~
\~,....... .......,~\
$\~,...... IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ......,~\$
$$\~,..... 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) .,~\$$##
##&$$\~,.. ..,~\$$#
#&$$\~,... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ...,~\$$
&$$\~,.... ....,~\$$&
$$\~,..... .....,~\$$
$\~,...... ......,~\$
\~,....... .......,~\
~,........ ........,~