^=†=%@####                                          ####@%=†=^
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.
...^††%@##                                          ##@%††^...
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.
....===†=@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @=†===....
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.
...==†===@          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) ###@%=†=^.
^=†=%@####                                          ####@%=†=^
....^†††%# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #%†††^....
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.
.^=†=%@@@#                                          #@@@%=†=^.
.^=†=%@###                                          ###@%=†=^.