##£@§=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=§@£##
#@@@§=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=§@@@#
£§§§^~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~^§§§£
##£@§=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=§@£##
##£@§=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=§@£##
##£@§=^~,¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨,~^=§@£##
##£@§=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=§@£##
##£@§=^~,¨          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) ¨,~^=§@££#
##£@§=^~,¨                                          ¨,~^=§@£##
##£@§=^~,¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨,~^=§@£##
@§^~~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~~^§@
@§^~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^§@
£§^~~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~~^§£
#@§^~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~^§@#
£§=~~~~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~~~~=§£