#@#%%\~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~\%%#@#
##@#%%\~.¨                                          ¨.~\%%#@##
#@#%%\~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~\%%#@#
@#%%\~.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.~\%%#@
#%%\~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~\%%#
%%\~.¨¨¨¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨¨¨.~\%%
%\~.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~\%
%%\~.¨¨¨¨¨          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) ¨¨.~\%%#@#
##@#%%\~.¨                                          ¨.~\%%#@##
#@#%%\~.¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨.~\%%#@#
@#%%\~.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.~\%%#@
#%%\~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~\%%#
%%\~.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.~\%%
%\~.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~\%
%%\~.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.~\%%