$*=,......                                          ......,=*$
*=,.......                                          .......,=*
$*=,......                                          ......,=*$
@$*=,.....                                          .....,=*$@
¤@$*=,....                                          ....,=*$@¤
@¤@$*=,... **************************************** ...,=*$@¤@
#@¤@$*=,..                                          ..,=*$@¤@#
##@¤@$*=,.          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          .,=*$@¤@##
#@¤@$*=,..                                          ..,=*$@¤@#
@¤@$*=,...                *  *  *  *                ...,=*$@¤@
¤@$*=,....                                          ....,=*$@¤
@$*=,..... IN THIS  DREAM  I  WAS  A GIRL OF  MAYBE .....,=*$@
$*=,...... SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY DAD IN ......,=*$
*=,....... 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 .......,=*
$*=,...... DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ......,=*$
@$*=,..... CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED  AT ME AGAIN,  AND .....,=*$@
¤@$*=,....                  SAID -                  ....,=*$@¤
@¤@$*=,...                                          ...,=*$@¤@
#@¤@$*=,..                *  *  *  *                ..,=*$@¤@#
##@¤@$*=,.                                          .,=*$@¤@##
#@¤@$*=,.. (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ..,=*$@¤@#
@¤@$*=,...                                          ...,=*$@¤@
¤@$*=,.... **************************************** ....,=*$@¤
@$*=,.....                                          .....,=*$@
$*=,......                                          ......,=*$
*=,.......                                          .......,=*
$*=,......                                          ......,=*$
@$*=,.....                                          .....,=*$@