.^~=%&#£@#                                          #@£#&%=~^.
..^~=%&#£@                                          @£#&%=~^..
...^~=%&#£                                          £#&%=~^...
....^~=%&#                                          #&%=~^....
.....^~=%&                                          &%=~^.....
......^~=% ======================================== %=~^......
.......^~=                                          =~^.......
........^~          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) ^.........
..........                                          ..........
.........^ ======================================== ^.........
........^~                                          ~^........
.......^~=                                          =~^.......
......^~=%                                          %=~^......
.....^~=%&                                          &%=~^.....
....^~=%&#                                          #&%=~^....