..==†$§###                                          ###§$†==..
.==†$§####                                          ####§$†==.
..==†$§###                                          ###§$†==..
...==†$§##                                          ##§$†==...
....==†$§#                                          #§$†==....
.....==†$§ ======================================== §$†==.....
......==†$                                          $†==......
.......==†          mouse girl likes shoes          †==.......
........==                                          ==........
.........=                =  =  =  =                =.........
..........                                          ..........
.......... in  this dream  i  was  a girl  of maybe ..........
.......... sixteen years, together with  my  dad in ..........
.........= a  huge  bath  house  / spa  /  hotel  / =.........
........== shopping centre.       dad was constatly ==........
.......==† pointing out hot girls to me.  "you  see †==.......
......==†$   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) ###§$†==..
.==†$§####                                          ####§$†==.
..==†$§### ======================================== ###§$†==..
...==†$§##                                          ##§$†==...
....==†$§#                                          #§$†==....
.....==†$§                                          §$†==.....
......==†$                                          $†==......
.......==†                                          †==.......