.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##          mouse girl likes shoes          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                ^  ^  ^  ^                ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## in this dream  i  was  a  girl of  maybe ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### sixteen  years, together with my dad  in ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## a  huge  bath  house  /  spa  /  hotel / ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### shopping centre.       dad was constatly ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## pointing out hot girls  to me. "you  see ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###   that black-haired thing dissapearing   ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## behind  the  clothes  rack?  oof!"  he'd ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### say. he was  always  very  creepy  about ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## this,   going   for   girls    my   age. ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## this  night he had just tried to  woo  a ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### girl  he called a  "mouse" by buying her ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## shoes, but  she had accepted  them  only ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### to run away  immediately  afterward. dad ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## was  a   bit   bummed  but  dropped   it ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### quickly.  i  said  goodnight to  him and ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##        went looking for the mouse.       ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## the building was  enormous and mazelike. ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### walls, floors and  pillars were  set  in ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## green  marble. throughout the house  ran ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### a  main  boulevard,  wide as  a  street, ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## framed with clay vases dark as  obsidian ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### and taller than  a person. in each  vase ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## was  placed upright  a leaf from a  palm ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### tree or giant  fern.  the boulevard  was ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## dimly lit, which allowed the pools  that ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###   were generously sprinkled throughout   ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##   each floor would reflect suggestive    ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###         patterns on the marble.          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                ^  ^  ^  ^                ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### following  the boulevard, two  floors up ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## i  found  her  crying  behind  two  fern ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### vases.  she  was  beautiful,  and  as  i ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## approached, she looked  up and sniveled. ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### in  the  nearest  vase  she  had stuffed ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##              both the shoes.             ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## i told  her  to  follow, but she  didn't ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### move  or  speak. so  instead  i said  to ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## stay there, and  ran to get her a better ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### pair of shoes  that  she would  actually ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## like.  when  i  returned,  having  spent ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### more than  i  could  really  afford, she ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## was visibly impressed. i tried  to sound ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### cool,  saying  something  like  "what do ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## you  think, just because a  girl  has  a ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### freaky dad,  she  doesn't  have  taste?" ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## but  mouse  girl  just  laughed  at  me. ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## she then took me by  the hand and led me ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### out   a  side   route  to  a  closed-off ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## rooftop walking garden, full  of juniper ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### and thuja.  it was  a late  evening, and ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##     the stars were glittering. being     ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### closed, the garden had  its light turned ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## off,  but we could  still  see  our  way ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### around by  the light  shining down  from ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## the  windows   of  the   higher  floors. ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## she  lay down in a patch of grass. i sat ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### down  on  my  knees,  and  then  crawled ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&## closer. she laughed  at  me  again,  and ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                  said -                  ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                ^  ^  ^  ^                ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..
.:~^†$&###                                          ###&$†^~:.
..:~^†$&##                                          ##&$†^~:..