.,-\=£#@##                                          ##@#£=\-,.
..,-\=£#@#                                          #@#£=\-,..
...,-\=£#@                                          @#£=\-,...
....,-\=£#                                          #£=\-,....
.....,-\=£                                          £=\-,.....
......,-\= \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ =\-,......
.......,-\                                          \-,.......
......,-\=          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) £=\-,.....
....,-\=£#                                          #£=\-,....
...,-\=£#@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @#£=\-,...
..,-\=£#@#                                          #@#£=\-,..
.,-\=£#@##                                          ##@#£=\-,.
..,-\=£#@#                                          #@#£=\-,..
...,-\=£#@                                          @#£=\-,...
....,-\=£#                                          #£=\-,....