@†;;««,...                                          ...,««;;†@
##@@*†;«,.                                          .,«;†*@@##
@@@†«,....                                          ....,«†@@@
@@@*;,....                                          ....,;*@@@
@@*†«.....                                          .....«†*@@
@@*;«..... ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; .....«;*@@
@@@@*†;«,.                                          .,«;†*@@@@
#@@@*†;«,.          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) .,«;†*@@##
##@@*†;«,.                                          .,«;†*@@##
##@@*†;«,. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; .,«;†*@@##
@@@*†;;«,.                                          .,«;;†*@@@
###@*†;«,.                                          .,«;†*@###
@†††«,....                                          ....,«†††@
##@@*†;«,.                                          .,«;†*@@##
@*†«......                                          ......«†*@