,,~\%$#@##                                          ##@#$%\~,,
,,~\%$#@@@                                          @@@#$%\~,,
,,,,,,,\$#                                          #$\,,,,,,,
,,~\%$####                                          ####$%\~,,
,,,,,,~%##                                          ##%~,,,,,,
,,~\%$#@## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##@#$%\~,,
,,~\%$#@@@                                          @@@#$%\~,,
,~\%$#@###          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) @@#$\~~,,,
,,,,~%%###                                          ###%%~,,,,
,,,,,\$### \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ###$\,,,,,
,,~\%$@###                                          ###@$%\~,,
,,~\%$#@##                                          ##@#$%\~,,
,,~\%$#@##                                          ##@#$%\~,,
,,~\%%$$@@                                          @@$$%%\~,,
,,~\%$####                                          ####$%\~,,