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