.,~^%$§###                                          ###§$%^~,.
..,~^%$§##                                          ##§$%^~,..
...,~^%$§#                                          #§$%^~,...
....,~^%$§                                          §$%^~,....
.....,~^%$                                          $%^~,.....
......,~^% ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ %^~,......
.....,~^%$                                          $%^~,.....
....,~^%$§          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) ###§$%^~,.
..,~^%$§##                                          ##§$%^~,..
...,~^%$§# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #§$%^~,...
....,~^%$§                                          §$%^~,....
.....,~^%$                                          $%^~,.....
......,~^%                                          %^~,......
.....,~^%$                                          $%^~,.....
....,~^%$§                                          §$%^~,....