.,=†£§@###                                          ###@§£†=,.
.....,~=£§                                          §£=~,.....
.,~=†£§@@#                                          #@@§£†=~,.
..,,,~††§§                                          §§††~,,,..
...,,==†£§                                          §£†==,,...
.,~=†£§§@@ ======================================== @@§§£†=~,.
...,~~††§#                                          #§††~~,...
.,~=†£££@#          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) #§†==,....
.,~=†£§@##                                          ##@§£†=~,.
.,~†£§@### ======================================== ###@§£†~,.
.,~=†£§###                                          ###§£†=~,.
.,~=†£§@##                                          ##@§£†=~,.
.,~=†£§@##                                          ##@§£†=~,.
.,~==†††£@                                          @£†††==~,.
.,~~==†££§                                          §££†==~~,.