,,,,,^«/%#                                          #%/«^,,,,,
,^«%@##@##                                          ##@##@%«^,
,^«/%@##@@                                          @@##@%/«^,
,,,,^^^/%#                                          #%/^^^,,,,
,,,,,«/%@#                                          #@%/«,,,,,
,^^««%@### //////////////////////////////////////// ###@%««^^,
,,,,^^^/@#                                          #@/^^^,,,,
,^«/%@##@#          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) #@##@%/«^,
,^«/%@@##@                                          @##@@%/«^,
,^«/%@#### //////////////////////////////////////// ####@%/«^,
,^«/%##@##                                          ##@##%/«^,
,^«/%@##@#                                          #@##@%/«^,
,,,,,^^/@#                                          #@/^^,,,,,
,^«/%@##@@                                          @@##@%/«^,
,^«/%@###@                                          @###@%/«^,