.,----%£#@                                          @#£%----,.
.,-^%@#@##                                          ##@#@%^-,.
.,-^%£#@##                                          ##@#£%^-,.
....,-%£@@                                          @@£%-,....
.,-^%£@#@#                                          #@#@£%^-,.
.,-^%£@#@# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #@#@£%^-,.
.,-^%£@#@#                                          #@#@£%^-,.
......-^%@          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) #@#@£%^-,.
.,-^%£@@##                                          ##@@£%^-,.
.,-^%£@#@# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #@#@£%^-,.
.,-^%%%£@@                                          @@£%%%^-,.
.....,^%%@                                          @%%^,.....
.,^%£@#@##                                          ##@#@£%^,.
..,,,-^%%@                                          @%%^-,,,..
....,-^^£#                                          #£^^-,....