###§@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@§###
#§§§@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@§§§#
###§@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@§###
##@@@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@@@##
###§@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@§###
§§^~,,,,,, :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ,,,,,,~^§§
###§@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@§###
#§§@::,,,,          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) ,,,,,::@§#
§§^^^:~,,,                                          ,,,~:^^^§§
###§@^:~,, :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ,,~:^@§###
####@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@####
###§@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@§###
###§@^:~,,                                          ,,~:^@§###
§^:::~,,,,                                          ,,,,~:::^§
#@^:~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~:^@#