¨:~:%@@###                                          ###@@%:~:¨
¨:~:%@@###                                          ###@@%:~:¨
¨:~:%@@###                                          ###@@%:~:¨
¨:~:%@@###                                          ###@@%:~:¨
¨::%@@####                                          ####@@%::¨
¨:~:%@@### :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ###@@%:~:¨
¨:~:%@@###                                          ###@@%:~:¨
¨¨¨¨~:@@@#          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) ##@::¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:%@@###                                          ###@@%:~:¨
¨:~:%@@@@@ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @@@@@%:~:¨
¨¨¨¨~%%@##                                          ##@%%~¨¨¨¨
¨:~:%@@###                                          ###@@%:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%@##                                          ##@%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~:::@#                                          #@:::~¨¨¨¨
¨¨:::%%@@@                                          @@@%%:::¨¨