.....:::¤#                                          #¤:::.....
.:~~~~:¤££                                          ££¤:~~~~:.
....~$¤¤##                                          ##¤¤$~....
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£### :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ###£¤$:~:.
......::¤#                                          #¤::......
.:~:$¤£###          mouse girl likes shoes          ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
....~$$£££                :  :  :  :                £££$$~....
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£### in  this  dream  i  was a girl  of maybe ###£¤$:~:.
....:~$$£# sixteen  years, together with my  dad in #£$$~:....
.:~::$$¤£# a  huge  bath  house  /  spa  / hotel  / #£¤$$::~:.
.:~:$¤£### shopping centre.      dad  was constatly ###£¤$:~:.
.....::¤£# 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 -                  #¤¤::::...
.:~:$¤££##                                          ##££¤$:~:.
..::::$££#                :  :  :  :                #££$::::..
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£### (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ###£¤$:~:.
......~$$£                                          £$$~......
.:~:$¤£### :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.
...~~:¤£££                                          £££¤:~~...
.:~:$¤£###                                          ###£¤$:~:.