,,«*†%¶###                                          ###¶%†*«,,
,,,,**†%%&                                          &%%†**,,,,
,,«*†%&¶##                                          ##¶&%†*«,,
,,,,,,,«†&                                          &†«,,,,,,,
,,«*†%&¶##                                          ##¶&%†*«,,
,,«†%&¶### **************************************** ###¶&%†«,,
,,,,«««†&#                                          #&†«««,,,,
,,,,,««*%&          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) ¶&&%††*«,,
,,«*†%&¶##                                          ##¶&%†*«,,
,,«*†%&¶## **************************************** ##¶&%†*«,,
,,«*†%&¶##                                          ##¶&%†*«,,
,,,,,,«*%&                                          &%*«,,,,,,
,,«*†%&¶##                                          ##¶&%†*«,,
,,,,,«*%%&                                          &%%*«,,,,,
,,«*†%&¶##                                          ##¶&%†*«,,