.~~\^@&@## ##@&@^\~~.
..~~\^@&@# #@&@^\~~..
...~~\^@&@ @&@^\~~...
....~~\^@& &@^\~~....
.....~~\^@ @^\~~.....
....~~\^@& \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ &@^\~~....
...~~\^@&@ @&@^\~~...
..~~\^@&@# 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) ##@&@^\~~.
..~~\^@&@# #@&@^\~~..
...~~\^@&@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @&@^\~~...
....~~\^@& &@^\~~....
.....~~\^@ @^\~~.....
....~~\^@& &@^\~~....
...~~\^@&@ @&@^\~~...
..~~\^@&@# #@&@^\~~..