..^=\%£££# #£££%\=^..
...^=\%£££ £££%\=^...
....^=\%££ ££%\=^....
.....^=\%£ £%\=^.....
......^=\% %\=^......
.....^=\%£ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ £%\=^.....
....^=\%££ ££%\=^....
...^=\%£££ 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) #£££%\=^..
...^=\%£££ £££%\=^...
....^=\%££ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ££%\=^....
.....^=\%£ £%\=^.....
......^=\% %\=^......
.....^=\%£ £%\=^.....
....^=\%££ ££%\=^....
...^=\%£££ £££%\=^...