##$$†^....                                          ....^†$$##
¤$†^^~....                                          ....~^^†$¤
#$^^^^^~..                                          ..~^^^^^$#
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
#$†~......                                          ......~†$#
###¤$†^~.. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ..~^†$¤###
#¤¤$††^~..                                          ..~^††$¤¤#
###¤$†^~..          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ..~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~..                ^  ^  ^  ^                ..~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
#¤$$^..... IN  THIS  DREAM  I  WAS A GIRL OF  MAYBE .....^$$¤#
#$^^~..... SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY DAD  IN .....~^^$#
##$†^^~... A HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  /  HOTEL  / ...~^^†$##
¤$$†~..... SHOPPING CENTRE.      DAD WAS  CONSTATLY .....~†$$¤
¤†^....... 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 ..~^†$$¤¤¤
###¤$†^~..     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     ..~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~.. CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT  TURNED ..~^†$¤###
#¤¤†^..... OFF, BUT  WE  COULD  STILL  SEE OUR  WAY .....^†¤¤#
####$†^~.. AROUND BY THE  LIGHT  SHINING  DOWN FROM ..~^†$####
###¤$†^~.. THE   WINDOWS  OF   THE  HIGHER  FLOORS. ..~^†$¤###
¤$†^^~~...                                          ...~~^^†$¤
###¤$†^~.. SHE  LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ..~^†$¤###
####$†^~.. DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ..~^†$####
####¤$†^.. CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED  AT  ME  AGAIN,  AND ..^†$¤####
###¤$†^~..                  SAID -                  ..~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
#¤¤†~.....                ^  ^  ^  ^                .....~†¤¤#
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
####¤$^~.. (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ..~^$¤####
##$^......                                          ......^$##
#¤$$††^~.. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ..~^††$$¤#
¤††^^.....                                          .....^^††¤
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
###¤$†^~..                                          ..~^†$¤###
####$†^~..                                          ..~^†$####