£§§§§^/~^,                                          ,^~/^§§§§£
§^~^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^~^§
###§§^/~^,                                          ,^~/^§§###
§§§^/^^,,,                                          ,,,^^/^§§§
#§§§§^/~^,                                          ,^~/^§§§§#
##£§§^/~^, //////////////////////////////////////// ,^~/^§§£##
##£§§^/~^,                                          ,^~/^§§£##
£§^^/~^^,,          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) ,,,,,^/^§#
£§§^^^/~^,                                          ,^~/^^^§§£
§^^~,,,,,, //////////////////////////////////////// ,,,,,,~^^§
###£§^/~^,                                          ,^~/^§£###
###£§§^~^,                                          ,^~^§§£###
##£§§^/~^,                                          ,^~/^§§£##
##£§§^/~^,                                          ,^~/^§§£##
££§^^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^^§££