###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###
¤¤$%%^^~,,                                          ,,~^^%%$¤¤
###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###
¤¤%~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~%¤¤
¤$$^~,,,,, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,,,,,~^$$¤
¤$^^^^~,,,                                          ,,,~^^^^$¤
###¤$%^~,,          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ,,~^%$¤###
#¤%%%~,,,,                                          ,,,,~%%%¤#
###¤$%^~,,                ^  ^  ^  ^                ,,~^%$¤###
¤¤¤%~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~%¤¤¤
###¤$%^~,, IN  THIS DREAM I  WAS  A  GIRL  OF MAYBE ,,~^%$¤###
¤$%^~,,,,, SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD  IN ,,,,,~^%$¤
###¤$%^~,, A HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  /  HOTEL  / ,,~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~,, SHOPPING CENTRE.     DAD  WAS  CONSTATLY ,,~^%$¤###
#$^~,,,,,, POINTING  OUT  HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ,,,,,,~^$#
###¤$%^~,,   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   ,,~^%$¤###
##¤$$%^~,, BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D ,,~^%$$¤##
¤¤¤%%^^~,, 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. ,,~^%%%%¤¤
###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~,, SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH  OF GRASS. I SAT ,,~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~,, DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ,,~^%$¤###
#¤¤$^~~,,, CLOSER. SHE  LAUGHED  AT  ME  AGAIN, AND ,,,~~^$¤¤#
###¤$%^~,,                  SAID -                  ,,~^%$¤###
#¤¤¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤¤¤#
##¤¤$%^~,,                ^  ^  ^  ^                ,,~^%$¤¤##
###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###
#$^^~,,,,, (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ,,,,,~^^$#
###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~,, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,,~^%$¤###
#$$$^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^$$$#
####¤$%^,,                                          ,,^%$¤####
###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###
#¤$%%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%%$¤#
###¤$%^~,,                                          ,,~^%$¤###