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