..:~=%§##@                                          @##§%=~:..
.:~=%§##@#                                          #@##§%=~:.
..:~=%§##@                                          @##§%=~:..
...:~=%§##                                          ##§%=~:...
....:~=%§#                                          #§%=~:....
.....:~=%§ ======================================== §%=~:.....
......:~=%                                          %=~:......
.......:~=          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) %=~:......
.....:~=%§                                          §%=~:.....
....:~=%§# ======================================== #§%=~:....
...:~=%§##                                          ##§%=~:...
..:~=%§##@                                          @##§%=~:..
.:~=%§##@#                                          #@##§%=~:.
..:~=%§##@                                          @##§%=~:..
...:~=%§##                                          ##§%=~:...