@§†††-^...                                          ...^-†††§@
@=†††^....                                          ....^†††=@
##¶@§=†-^.                                          .^-†=§@¶##
@§†^......                                          ......^†§@
@@§=---^^.                                          .^^---=§@@
@@=--..... †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† .....--=@@
##¶@§=†-^.                                          .^-†=§@¶##
#@@§†-^...          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) .^-†=§@¶##
##¶@§=†-^.                                          .^-†=§@¶##
¶§§=†-^... †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ...^-†=§§¶
¶§†^^.....                                          .....^^†§¶
###¶@§†-^.                                          .^-†§@¶###
#¶@=††-^..                                          ..^-††=@¶#
¶§=†^.....                                          .....^†=§¶
@§==†††-^.                                          .^-†††==§@