,.=†=&#@##                                          ##@#&=†=.,
,.=†=&#@##                                          ##@#&=†=.,
,,,,===&#@                                          @#&===,,,,
,,,,,,.†&@                                          @&†.,,,,,,
,,,,,==&&@                                          @&&==,,,,,
.=†=&#@### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ###@#&=†=.
,,....†=##                                          ##=†....,,
,=†=&#@###          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) ##@#&=†=.,
,.=†=&#@@@                                          @@@#&=†=.,
,.=†=&#@## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##@#&=†=.,
,.=†=&###@                                          @###&=†=.,
,.=†=&#@@@                                          @@@#&=†=.,
,.=†=&####                                          ####&=†=.,
,.=†=&#@##                                          ##@#&=†=.,
,.=†=&####                                          ####&=†=.,