$%\~^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^~\%$
§$%\~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~\%$§
#§$%\~^,,,                                          ,,,^~\%$§#
##§$%\~^,,                                          ,,^~\%$§##
###§$%\~^,                                          ,^~\%$§###
##§$%\~^,, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ,,^~\%$§##
#§$%\~^,,,                                          ,,,^~\%$§#
§$%\~^,,,,          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ,,,,^~\%$§
$%\~^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^~\%$
%\~^,,,,,,                \  \  \  \                ,,,,,,^~\%
\~^,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,^~\
~^,,,,,,,, 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) ,,,,,,,^~\
~^,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,^~
\~^,,,,,,, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ,,,,,,,^~\
%\~^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^~\%
$%\~^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^~\%$
§$%\~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~\%$§
#§$%\~^,,,                                          ,,,^~\%$§#
##§$%\~^,,                                          ,,^~\%$§##