&††\\«^^^.                                          .^^^«\\††&
&&&&†«....                                          ....«†&&&&
#@¶&&†\«^.                                          .^«\†&&¶@#
##@&&†\«^.                                          .^«\†&&@##
@¶¶&&†\«^.                                          .^«\†&&¶¶@
¶¶¶&&†\«^. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ .^«\†&&¶¶¶
@@¶&&†\«^.                                          .^«\†&&¶@@
¶¶&†«^....          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) .^«\†&&¶##
#@¶&&†\«^.                                          .^«\†&&¶@#
@¶&&&†\«^. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ .^«\†&&&¶@
@&†«......                                          ......«†&@
#@¶&&†\«^.                                          .^«\†&&¶@#
&&&\\^....                                          ....^\\&&&
¶¶¶&&†\«^.                                          .^«\†&&¶¶¶
&&††\«^...                                          ...^«\††&&