..^~=%@#@# #@#@%=~^..
.^~=%@#@## ##@#@%=~^.
..^~=%@#@# #@#@%=~^..
...^~=%@#@ @#@%=~^...
....^~=%@# #@%=~^....
.....^~=%@ ======================================== @%=~^.....
......^~=% %=~^......
.......^~= 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) ~^........
.........^ ^.........
.......... ======================================== ..........
.........^ ^.........
........^~ ~^........
.......^~= =~^.......
......^~=% %=~^......
.....^~=%@ @%=~^.....