,==*%£¶###                                          ###¶£%*==,
,,,,,,=%¶¶                                          ¶¶%=,,,,,,
,,====**££                                          ££**====,,
,,,,,=**£#                                          #£**=,,,,,
,,==*%£¶##                                          ##¶£%*==,,
,,====**%£ ======================================== £%**====,,
,,==*%%%¶¶                                          ¶¶%%%*==,,
,,,,,=*%%¶          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) ¶£££%*==,,
,,,,,==*£¶                                          ¶£*==,,,,,
,,==*%£¶## ======================================== ##¶£%*==,,
,,,,,,==%£                                          £%==,,,,,,
,,,,,,=*££                                          ££*=,,,,,,
,,==*%£###                                          ###£%*==,,
,,,=====%£                                          £%=====,,,
,,==**%£¶¶                                          ¶¶£%**==,,