,.~=*$¤###                                          ###¤$*=~.,
,.~=*$¤###                                          ###¤$*=~.,
,.~=*$¤##@                                          @##¤$*=~.,
,.~=*$¤##@                                          @##¤$*=~.,
,.~~~*$¤¤#                                          #¤¤$*~~~.,
,.~=*$¤#@# ======================================== #@#¤$*=~.,
,,,,,~=$##                                          ##$=~,,,,,
,,,~~****¤          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 ¤*=~,,,,,,
,,,,,..=$# CLOSER.  SHE LAUGHED  AT ME  AGAIN,  AND #$=..,,,,,
,,,,..=*$#                  SAID -                  #$*=..,,,,
,.~=*$¤¤#@                                          @#¤¤$*=~.,
,..~~=$¤¤#                =  =  =  =                #¤¤$=~~..,
,.~=*$¤¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤¤$*=~.,
,.~=*$¤#@# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #@#¤$*=~.,
,.~=*$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$*=~.,
,.~=*$¤#@# ======================================== #@#¤$*=~.,
,.~==**$$¤                                          ¤$$**==~.,
,,,,,~=$¤#                                          #¤$=~,,,,,
,,,,,.=$¤@                                          @¤$=.,,,,,
,.~=*$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$*=~.,
,.~=*$¤¤##                                          ##¤¤$*=~.,