&^^^~.....                                          .....~^^^&
##@&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&@##
#@@&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&@@#
##@&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&@##
##@&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&@##
@&/~...... //////////////////////////////////////// ......~/&@
##@&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&@##
#@&&&^/~..          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) ..~/^&&###
##@&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&@##
@&/....... //////////////////////////////////////// ......./&@
##@&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&@##
&^^////~..                                          ..~////^^&
&&^^~.....                                          .....~^^&&
@@&&&^/~..                                          ..~/^&&&@@
&^/.......                                          ......./^&