....^«/*£#                                          #£*/«^....
...^«/*£#@                                          @#£*/«^...
..^«/*£#@#                                          #@#£*/«^..
.^«/*£#@##                                          ##@#£*/«^.
..^«/*£#@#                                          #@#£*/«^..
...^«/*£#@ //////////////////////////////////////// @#£*/«^...
....^«/*£#                                          #£*/«^....
.....^«/*£          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) #£*/«^....
...^«/*£#@                                          @#£*/«^...
..^«/*£#@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@#£*/«^..
.^«/*£#@##                                          ##@#£*/«^.
..^«/*£#@#                                          #@#£*/«^..
...^«/*£#@                                          @#£*/«^...
....^«/*£#                                          #£*/«^....
.....^«/*£                                          £*/«^.....