,,~/=$@###                                          ###@$=/~,,
,,~/=$@###                                          ###@$=/~,,
,,,,~=$@@#                                          #@@$=~,,,,
,,~/=$@@##                                          ##@@$=/~,,
,,,,,,~=$#                                          #$=~,,,,,,
,,,,,,~=@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@=~,,,,,,
,~/=$@####                                          ####@$=/~,
,,~/=$####          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ####$=/~,,
,,~/=$@@##                                          ##@@$=/~,,
,,~/=$@###                /  /  /  /                ###@$=/~,,
,,~/=$@###                                          ###@$=/~,,
,,~/=$@### IN  THIS DREAM  I  WAS A GIRL  OF  MAYBE ###@$=/~,,
,,,,,///=@ 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 #@=/~,,,,,
,,~/=$@@## CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED  AT ME  AGAIN, AND ##@@$=/~,,
,,~/==$@@#                  SAID -                  #@@$==/~,,
,,~/=$@###                                          ###@$=/~,,
,,~/=$@###                /  /  /  /                ###@$=/~,,
,,~/=$@@@#                                          #@@@$=/~,,
,,~/=$@### (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ###@$=/~,,
,~/=$@####                                          ####@$=/~,
,,~/=$@### //////////////////////////////////////// ###@$=/~,,
,,~/=$$@@@                                          @@@$$=/~,,
,,,~~~//=@                                          @=//~~~,,,
,,~/=$####                                          ####$=/~,,
,,~=$@####                                          ####@$=~,,
,,~/=$@###                                          ###@$=/~,,