,,,,,~/%&#                                          #&%/~,,,,,
,,,,~/%&##                                          ##&%/~,,,,
,,,~/%&###                                          ###&%/~,,,
,,~/%&####                                          ####&%/~,,
,,,~/%&###                                          ###&%/~,,,
,,,,~/%&## //////////////////////////////////////// ##&%/~,,,,
,,,,,~/%&#                                          #&%/~,,,,,
,,,,,,~/%&          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) ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~/                                          /~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~/% //////////////////////////////////////// %/~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~/%&                                          &%/~,,,,,,
,,,,,~/%&#                                          #&%/~,,,,,
,,,,~/%&##                                          ##&%/~,,,,
,,,~/%&###                                          ###&%/~,,,
,,~/%&####                                          ####&%/~,,