.....,=^%$                                          $%^=,.....
......,=^%                                          %^=,......
.......,=^                                          ^=,.......
......,=^%                                          %^=,......
.....,=^%$                                          $%^=,.....
....,=^%$§ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ §$%^=,....
...,=^%$§@                                          @§$%^=,...
..,=^%$§@#          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) ##@§$%^=,.
..,=^%$§@#                                          #@§$%^=,..
...,=^%$§@ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @§$%^=,...
....,=^%$§                                          §$%^=,....
.....,=^%$                                          $%^=,.....
......,=^%                                          %^=,......
.......,=^                                          ^=,.......
......,=^%                                          %^=,......