##@¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤@##
###¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤###
@¤$=.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.=$¤@
@$%---¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨---%$@
###@$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$@###
##@¤$%=-.¨ ======================================== ¨.-=%$¤@##
@¤%-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-%¤@
##@¤$%=-.¨ mouse girl likes shoes ¨.-=%$¤@##
¤¤$=.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.=$¤¤
@$$=....¨¨ = = = = ¨¨....=$$@
##@¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤@##
##@¤$%=-.¨ in this dream i was a girl of maybe ¨.-=%$¤@##
¤¤¤¤$%=-.¨ sixteen years, together with my dad in ¨.-=%$¤¤¤¤
##@¤$%=-.¨ a huge bath house / spa / hotel / ¨.-=%$¤@##
##@¤$%=-.¨ shopping centre. dad was constatly ¨.-=%$¤@##
#@$=--¨¨¨¨ pointing out hot girls to me. "you see ¨¨¨¨--=$@#
¤%==-¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨-%¤¤@
#@¤$%%=-.¨ closer. she laughed at me again, and ¨.-=%%$¤@#
@¤$==-.¨¨¨ said - ¨¨¨.-==$¤@
@$%==..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..==%$@
@$%-¨¨¨¨¨¨ = = = = ¨¨¨¨¨¨-%$@
##@¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤@##
##@¤$%=-.¨ (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ¨.-=%$¤@##
###¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤###
@@@¤$%=-.¨ ======================================== ¨.-=%$¤@@@
###¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤###
###¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤###
##@¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤@##
##@¤$%=-.¨ ¨.-=%$¤@##
@$%%--.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.--%%$@