,:~:^£&###                                          ###&£^:~:,
,:~:^£&###                                          ###&£^:~:,
,,,,:~:^&&                                          &&^:~:,,,,
,,,,,~^£##                                          ##£^~,,,,,
,:~:^£&&&#                                          #&&&£^:~:,
,:~:^£&### :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ###&£^:~:,
,,,,::::£&                                          &£::::,,,,
,,::~^^&&#          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) #££^:::,,,
,,,,::££&&                                          &&££::,,,,
,:~:^£&### :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ###&£^:~:,
,,,,,~:^^&                                          &^^:~,,,,,
,,,,:::£##                                          ##£:::,,,,
,:~:^£&###                                          ###&£^:~:,
,,,~~~^^£&                                          &£^^~~~,,,
,,,,::^&&#                                          #&&^::,,,,