@%%§§«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«§§%%@
#@@§%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%§@@#
#@@§%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%§@@#
@@@§%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%§@@@
#@@§%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%§@@#
##@@§%§«.¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨.«§%§@@##
@%%§§§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§§§%%@
##@@%§\«.¨          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) ¨.«\§%§§§§
##@@%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%@@##
#@@§%§\«.¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨.«\§%§@@#
##@§%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%§@##
#@@§%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%§@@#
@§%%\\..¨¨                                          ¨¨..\\%%§@
§%\\.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.\\%§
@@@§%§\«.¨                                          ¨.«\§%§@@@