....--\^£¶                                          ¶£^\--....
...--\^£¶#                                          #¶£^\--...
..--\^£¶##                                          ##¶£^\--..
.--\^£¶###                                          ###¶£^\--.
..--\^£¶##                                          ##¶£^\--..
...--\^£¶# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #¶£^\--...
....--\^£¶                                          ¶£^\--....
.....--\^£          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) ¶£^\--....
...--\^£¶#                                          #¶£^\--...
..--\^£¶## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##¶£^\--..
.--\^£¶###                                          ###¶£^\--.
..--\^£¶##                                          ##¶£^\--..
...--\^£¶#                                          #¶£^\--...
....--\^£¶                                          ¶£^\--....
.....--\^£                                          £^\--.....