,:=:::††@¶                                          ¶@††:::=:,
,:=†§@¶@##                                          ##@¶@§†=:,
,:=:†§@¶@#                                          #@¶@§†:=:,
,:=:†§@¶@@                                          @@¶@§†:=:,
,,,,=†§§@¶                                          ¶@§§†=,,,,
,,,,,,::†@ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @†::,,,,,,
,,:=::††@@                                          @@††::=:,,
,:=:†§@¶@#          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) @¶§:=:,,,,
,:=:†§@¶@#                                          #@¶@§†:=:,
,:=:†§@¶@# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #@¶@§†:=:,
,:=:†§@¶@#                                          #@¶@§†:=:,
,:=::::§@@                                          @@§::::=:,
,:=:†§@¶@#                                          #@¶@§†:=:,
,,,,,:=††@                                          @††=:,,,,,
,,,,,:=†@@                                          @@†=:,,,,,