.,=:*%##£@                                          @£##%*:=,.
...=:*%##@                                          @##%*:=...
.,=:*%£@##                                          ##@£%*:=,.
..,==****#                                          #****==,..
.,=:*%#£@#                                          #@£#%*:=,.
....=*%%%# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #%%%*=....
.,=:*%#£##                                          ##£#%*:=,.
.,=:%#£@##          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) £#%:,,,...
......=*%£                                          £%*=......
.,=:*%#£@# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #@£#%*:=,.
.,=:*%#£@#                                          #@£#%*:=,.
.....==:%£                                          £%:==.....
.,=:*%#£@#                                          #@£#%*:=,.
.,=:*%#@##                                          ##@#%*:=,.
.,=:*%#£@#                                          #@£#%*:=,.