..,~/%£##@                                          @##£%/~,..
...,~/%£##                                          ##£%/~,...
....,~/%£#                                          #£%/~,....
.....,~/%£                                          £%/~,.....
......,~/%                                          %/~,......
.......,~/ //////////////////////////////////////// /~,.......
......,~/%                                          %/~,......
.....,~/%£          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) #£%/~,....
...,~/%£##                                          ##£%/~,...
..,~/%£##@ //////////////////////////////////////// @##£%/~,..
.,~/%£##@#                                          #@##£%/~,.
..,~/%£##@                                          @##£%/~,..
...,~/%£##                                          ##£%/~,...
....,~/%£#                                          #£%/~,....
.....,~/%£                                          £%/~,.....