.,-\^§¤@##                                          ##@¤§^\-,.
..,-\^§¤@#                                          #@¤§^\-,..
...,-\^§¤@                                          @¤§^\-,...
....,-\^§¤                                          ¤§^\-,....
.....,-\^§                                          §^\-,.....
....,-\^§¤ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¤§^\-,....
...,-\^§¤@                                          @¤§^\-,...
..,-\^§¤@#          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) ##@¤§^\-,.
..,-\^§¤@#                                          #@¤§^\-,..
...,-\^§¤@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @¤§^\-,...
....,-\^§¤                                          ¤§^\-,....
.....,-\^§                                          §^\-,.....
....,-\^§¤                                          ¤§^\-,....
...,-\^§¤@                                          @¤§^\-,...
..,-\^§¤@#                                          #@¤§^\-,..