.:=;†@#@##                                          ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@#                                          #@#@†;=:..
.:=;†@#@##                                          ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@#                                          #@#@†;=:..
.:=;†@#@##                                          ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@# ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; #@#@†;=:..
.:=;†@#@##                                          ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@#          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) ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@#                                          #@#@†;=:..
.:=;†@#@## ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@#                                          #@#@†;=:..
.:=;†@#@##                                          ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@#                                          #@#@†;=:..
.:=;†@#@##                                          ##@#@†;=:.
..:=;†@#@#                                          #@#@†;=:..