.........^                                          ^.........
........^\                                          \^........
.......^\^                                          ^\^.......
......^\^%                                          %^\^......
.....^\^%£                                          £%^\^.....
....^\^%£¶ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¶£%^\^....
...^\^%£¶@                                          @¶£%^\^...
..^\^%£¶@#          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) ^.........
........^\                                          \^........
.......^\^ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ^\^.......
......^\^%                                          %^\^......
.....^\^%£                                          £%^\^.....
....^\^%£¶                                          ¶£%^\^....
...^\^%£¶@                                          @¶£%^\^...
..^\^%£¶@#                                          #@¶£%^\^..