,^~:$$&¶@@                                          @@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,^:$$$¶                                          ¶$$$:^,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@#                                          #@¶&$$:~^,
,,,^^^:$$&                                          &$$:^^^,,,
,^~:$$&¶@@                                          @@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$¶@## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##@¶$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@#                                          #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@#          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          #@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,,~:$¶                                          ¶$:~,,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶##                :  :  :  :                ##¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@#                                          #@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,~~:$& IN THIS DREAM  I  WAS A  GIRL  OF  MAYBE &$:~~,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@# SIXTEEN YEARS,  TOGETHER WITH MY DAD  IN #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@# A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  /  HOTEL / #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@@ SHOPPING CENTRE.      DAD WAS  CONSTATLY @@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$$&&& POINTING OUT  HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU  SEE &&&$$$:~^,
,^~:$$&&¶@   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   @¶&&$$:~^,
,,,,,~:$&@ BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D @&$:~,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶## SAY.  HE WAS  ALWAYS VERY  CREEPY  ABOUT ##¶&$$:~^,
,,,^~$$&¶@ THIS,   GOING    FOR   GIRLS   MY   AGE. @¶&$$~^,,,
,,,,,,^:$&                                          &$:^,,,,,,
,,,,,~$$&¶ THIS  NIGHT  HE HAD JUST TRIED  TO WOO A ¶&$$~,,,,,
,,,,,~$$$& GIRL HE CALLED A  "MOUSE" BY  BUYING HER &$$$~,,,,,
,,,,,,,~$& SHOES, BUT SHE  HAD  ACCEPTED THEM  ONLY &$~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^:$& TO RUN  AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD.  DAD &$:^,,,,,,
,,,^:::$¶@ WAS  A   BIT   BUMMED  BUT  DROPPED   IT @¶$:::^,,,
,^~:$$&¶@# QUICKLY.  I SAID GOODNIGHT  TO  HIM  AND #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@@        WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE.       @@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,,~:$&                                          &$:~,,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@@ THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS  AND MAZELIKE. @@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,^~$$¶ WALLS, FLOORS AND  PILLARS  WERE SET  IN ¶$$~^,,,,,
,^~:$$&&&@ GREEN  MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE  RAN @&&&$$:~^,
,,,,,,^~$& A  MAIN  BOULEVARD,  WIDE  AS A  STREET, &$~^,,,,,,
,^~:$&¶@## FRAMED WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS  OBSIDIAN ##@¶&$:~^,
,,,,^:::$¶ AND TALLER THAN A  PERSON.  IN EACH VASE ¶$:::^,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@# WAS PLACED UPRIGHT  A LEAF  FROM A  PALM #@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,^:$&& TREE OR  GIANT  FERN.  THE BOULEVARD WAS &&$:^,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶## DIMLY LIT, WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS  THAT ##¶&$$:~^,
,,^^^~$$&¶   WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT   ¶&$$~^^^,,
,^~:::$$$&    EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE   &$$$:::~^,
,^~:$$&&¶@         PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE.          @¶&&$$:~^,
,,,,~:$$¶@                                          @¶$$:~,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@#                :  :  :  :                #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@#                                          #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶¶@ FOLLOWING  THE  BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS UP @¶¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@# I  FOUND  HER  CRYING  BEHIND  TWO  FERN #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@# VASES.  SHE  WAS  BEAUTIFUL,  AND  AS  I #@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,,~:$& APPROACHED, SHE  LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. &$:~,,,,,,
,,^^::::$& IN  THE  NEAREST  VASE  SHE HAD  STUFFED &$::::^^,,
,^~:$$&¶¶¶              BOTH THE SHOES.             ¶¶¶&$$:~^,
,,,^^:$$¶@                                          @¶$$:^^,,,
,,,,~::$¶@ I  TOLD HER TO  FOLLOW,  BUT SHE  DIDN'T @¶$::~,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@# MOVE  OR  SPEAK.  SO  INSTEAD I  SAID TO #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@# STAY THERE, AND  RAN TO GET HER A BETTER #@¶&$$:~^,
,^:$$&¶@## PAIR OF SHOES  THAT  SHE  WOULD ACTUALLY ##@¶&$$:^,
,,,,,,^~$& LIKE.  WHEN  I  RETURNED,  HAVING  SPENT &$~^,,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶## MORE THAN I  COULD  REALLY  AFFORD,  SHE ##¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,,~~$& WAS VISIBLY  IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND &$~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,~$$& COOL,  SAYING  SOMETHING  LIKE "WHAT  DO &$$~,,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@# YOU  THINK,  JUST BECAUSE  A GIRL  HAS A #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@# FREAKY  DAD,  SHE DOESN'T  HAVE  TASTE?" #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶¶¶ BUT  MOUSE  GIRL  JUST  LAUGHED  AT  ME. ¶¶¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,^^:$¶                                          ¶$:^^,,,,,
,^~:$$&¶## SHE  THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME ##¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶¶@ OUT  A  SIDE   ROUTE   TO  A  CLOSED-OFF @¶¶&$$:~^,
,^~::::$&¶ ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL  OF JUNIPER ¶&$::::~^,
,^~:$$&¶@# AND  THUJA. IT  WAS A LATE EVENING,  AND #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶##     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     ##¶&$$:~^,
,,^~::$$&¶ CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD  ITS LIGHT TURNED ¶&$$::~^,,
,^^^^^~$&@ OFF,  BUT  WE COULD  STILL  SEE  OUR WAY @&$~^^^^^,
,,,,,^~$&@ AROUND BY  THE  LIGHT SHINING DOWN  FROM @&$~^,,,,,
,,,^^:::$& THE  WINDOWS  OF  THE   HIGHER   FLOORS. &$:::^^,,,
,,,^~$$$&&                                          &&$$$~^,,,
,^~:$$&¶@# SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS.  I SAT #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&&¶¶ DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ¶¶&&$$:~^,
,,,,,^:$&¶ CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED AT  ME  AGAIN, AND ¶&$:^,,,,,
,,,,^^:$$¶                  SAID -                  ¶$$:^^,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@#                                          #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$$$¶¶                :  :  :  :                ¶¶$$$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@#                                          #@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,^~:$$& (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) &$$:~^,,,,
,^~:$$&¶@#                                          #@¶&$$:~^,
,^~:$$&¶@# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #@¶&$$:~^,
,,,,,^~$&@                                          @&$~^,,,,,
,,,,^:$&&&                                          &&&$:^,,,,
,,,,,,^:$&                                          &$:^,,,,,,
,~:$$&¶@##                                          ##@¶&$$:~,
,^~:$$&&&@                                          @&&&$$:~^,