#@¶@%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%@¶@#
##@@%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%@@##
@$$\^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^\$$@
##@¶%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%¶@##
¶%\\\^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^\\\%¶
#@¶@%$\~^¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨^~\$%@¶@#
@%$$$\\~^¨ ¨^~\\$$$%@
##@¶@%$~^¨ mouse girl likes shoes ¨^~$%@¶@##
@%$~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~$%@
#@¶@%$\~^¨ \ \ \ \ ¨^~\$%@¶@#
@@$$~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~$$@@
##@¶@%$~^¨ in this dream i was a girl of maybe ¨^~$%@¶@##
@@¶@%$\~^¨ sixteen years, together with my dad in ¨^~\$%@¶@@
##¶@%$\~^¨ a huge bath house / spa / hotel / ¨^~\$%@¶##
@@%%\~¨¨¨¨ shopping centre. dad was constatly ¨¨¨¨~\%%@@
#@¶@%$\~^¨ pointing out hot girls to me. "you see ¨^~\$%@¶@#
#@¶@%$\~^¨ that black-haired thing dissapearing ¨^~\$%@¶@#
¶¶@%%$\~^¨ behind the clothes rack? oof!" he'd ¨^~\$%%@¶¶
¶@@@%$\~^¨ say. he was always very creepy about ¨^~\$%@@@¶
##@@%$\~^¨ this, going for girls my age. ¨^~\$%@@##
@@$$\\\~^¨ ¨^~\\\$$@@
##¶@%$\~^¨ this night he had just tried to woo a ¨^~\$%@¶##
#@¶@%$\~^¨ 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) ¨^~~~\$$@@
#@¶@%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%@¶@#
@$$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$$@
@@¶@%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%@¶@@
#@¶@%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%@¶@#
@@¶@%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%@¶@@
#@¶@%$\~^¨ ¨^~\$%@¶@#
@$$\^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^\$$@