,,--/*%@£#                                          #£@%*/--,,
,--/*%@£##                                          ##£@%*/--,
,,--/*%@£#                                          #£@%*/--,,
,,,--/*%@£                                          £@%*/--,,,
,,,,--/*%@                                          @%*/--,,,,
,,,,,--/*% //////////////////////////////////////// %*/--,,,,,
,,,,--/*%@                                          @%*/--,,,,
,,,--/*%@£          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) #£@%*/--,,
,--/*%@£##                                          ##£@%*/--,
,,--/*%@£# //////////////////////////////////////// #£@%*/--,,
,,,--/*%@£                                          £@%*/--,,,
,,,,--/*%@                                          @%*/--,,,,
,,,,,--/*%                                          %*/--,,,,,
,,,,--/*%@                                          @%*/--,,,,
,,,--/*%@£                                          £@%*/--,,,