¨¨¨¨,==*%#                                          #%*==,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,==*%                                          %*==,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,==*%#                                          #%*==,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,==*%#@                                          @#%*==,¨¨¨
¨¨,==*%#@#                                          #@#%*==,¨¨
¨,==*%#@## ======================================== ##@#%*==,¨
¨¨,==*%#@#                                          #@#%*==,¨¨
¨¨¨,==*%#@          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) #%*==,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,==*%                                          %*==,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,==*%# ======================================== #%*==,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,==*%#@                                          @#%*==,¨¨¨
¨¨,==*%#@#                                          #@#%*==,¨¨
¨,==*%#@##                                          ##@#%*==,¨
¨¨,==*%#@#                                          #@#%*==,¨¨
¨¨¨,==*%#@                                          @#%*==,¨¨¨