@%%^^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^^%%@
@@¶@%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%@¶@@
¶%%^^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^^%%¶
@@%%~~,,,,                                          ,,,,~~%%@@
@@%%%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%%%@@
#@¶@%%^~,, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,,~^%%@¶@#
¶%%~~~,,,,                                          ,,,,~~~%%¶
@%^,,,,,,,          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) ,,,,,,~^%@
¶%%%~~~,,,                                          ,,,~~~%%%¶
¶¶@@%%^~,, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,,~^%%@@¶¶
¶@%^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^%@¶
##@@%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%@@##
¶%%%%^^~,,                                          ,,~^^%%%%¶
#@¶@%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%@¶@#
#@¶@%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%@¶@#