@&=/,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,/=&@
@&&¤//,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,//¤&&@
##@¶&¤=/~, ,~/=¤&¶@##
##@&¤=/~,¨ ¨,~/=¤&@##
¶&¤/,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,/¤&¶
¶¶¤¤/,¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨,/¤¤¶¶
@@¶&¤=/~,¨ ¨,~/=¤&¶@@
@@¶&¤=/~,¨ 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) ¨,~/=¤&¶##
&&==//~~,¨ ¨,~~//==&&
¶&===//~,¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨,~//===&¶
&&¤=~~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~~=¤&&
#@¶&¤=/~,¨ ¨,~/=¤&¶@#
#@¶&¤=/~,¨ ¨,~/=¤&¶@#
¶&¤==~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~==¤&¶
¶&¤/,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,/¤&¶