...,«:%$¤¶                                          ¶¤$%:«,...
....,«:%$¤                                          ¤$%:«,....
.....,«:%$                                          $%:«,.....
......,«:%                                          %:«,......
.......,«:                                          :«,.......
........,« :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: «,........
.........,                                          ,.........
........,«          mouse girl likes shoes          «,........
.......,«:                                          :«,.......
......,«:%                :  :  :  :                %:«,......
.....,«:%$                                          $%:«,.....
....,«:%$¤ 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) ¶¤$%:«,...
....,«:%$¤                                          ¤$%:«,....
.....,«:%$ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: $%:«,.....
......,«:%                                          %:«,......
.......,«:                                          :«,.......
........,«                                          «,........
.........,                                          ,.........
........,«                                          «,........