...~†††$$@                                          @$$†††~...
.~=†$¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤$†=~.
....~=†¤@@                                          @@¤†=~....
.~=†$¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤$†=~.
.....==†¤¶ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¶¤†==.....
.~=†$¤@¶¶#                                          #¶¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶##          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶@¤$†=~.
.....~†$¤¶                †  †  †  †                ¶¤$†~.....
.~=†$¤@¶¶#                                          #¶¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶## IN  THIS  DREAM  I  WAS A  GIRL OF MAYBE ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶## SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY DAD IN ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶## A HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  /  HOTEL  / ##¶@¤$†=~.
.......=$@ SHOPPING CENTRE.       DAD WAS CONSTATLY @$=.......
.~=†$¤¤¤¤¶ POINTING  OUT  HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ¶¤¤¤¤$†=~.
.~=†$$$@@#   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   #@@$$$†=~.
....=†¤¤@@ 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?" ¶¤¤†=~....
.~=†$¤@¶## BUT  MOUSE  GIRL  JUST  LAUGHED  AT  ME. ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤¤¤@@                                          @@¤¤¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶## SHE THEN TOOK ME  BY THE HAND AND LED ME ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~~~=$$¤@¶ OUT  A  SIDE  ROUTE  TO   A   CLOSED-OFF ¶@¤$$=~~~.
...~=†$@¶# ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN,  FULL OF JUNIPER #¶@$†=~...
.~=†$¤@¶## AND THUJA. IT  WAS  A LATE  EVENING, AND ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶##     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     ##¶@¤$†=~.
.....=$¤@¶ CLOSED,  THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED ¶@¤$=.....
.~=†$¤@¶## OFF,  BUT  WE  COULD  STILL SEE  OUR WAY ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤¤¤¤@ AROUND  BY THE  LIGHT  SHINING DOWN FROM @¤¤¤¤$†=~.
.....~=†$@ THE  WINDOWS   OF  THE  HIGHER   FLOORS. @$†=~.....
.~=†$¤@@@@                                          @@@@¤$†=~.
.~=†$$¤¤¤@ SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT @¤¤¤$$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶## DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶## CLOSER. SHE  LAUGHED  AT ME  AGAIN,  AND ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$$$¤¤¶                  SAID -                  ¶¤¤$$$†=~.
.~=†$$¤¤¶¶                                          ¶¶¤¤$$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶##                †  †  †  †                ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤¶###                                          ###¶¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶¶# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #¶¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##¶@¤$†=~.
...~†††$@#                                          #@$†††~...
.~=†$¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤$†=~.
.~=†$¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤$†=~.
.....=$$@@                                          @@$$=.....
.~=†$¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤$†=~.