.,«*%¤¶###                                          ###¶¤%*«,.
.,«*%%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%%*«,.
.....««*%¶                                          ¶%*««.....
.,«*%%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%%*«,.
....,*%%%¶                                          ¶%%%*,....
......,*%¶ **************************************** ¶%*,......
.,«*%%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%%*«,.
.,,««%%%¤#          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) ##¶¤%%*«,.
.,«*%%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%%*«,.
.....««%%¤ **************************************** ¤%%««.....
...,,*%¤¶¶                                          ¶¶¤%*,,...
....««%¤¤#                                          #¤¤%««....
.,«*%%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%%*«,.
...,«*%%¶#                                          #¶%%*«,...
.,«*%%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%%*«,.