.,~:%$####                                          ####$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:~,.
.......~%#                                          #%~.......
.,~:%$#@## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@##          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ##@#$%:~,.
..,,~:%#@@                                          @@#%:~,,..
.....,~%$@                :  :  :  :                @$%~,.....
..,~:%%#@@                                          @@#%%:~,..
.,~:%$#@## IN  THIS  DREAM  I WAS A GIRL  OF  MAYBE ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY DAD IN ##@#$%:~,.
.,~~::::$@ A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA /  HOTEL  / @$::::~~,.
....~~:$## SHOPPING CENTRE.      DAD WAS  CONSTATLY ##$:~~....
.,~:%%$#@@ POINTING  OUT HOT GIRLS TO  ME. "YOU SEE @@#$%%:~,.
.,~:%$$$@#   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   #@$$$%:~,.
.....,:$## BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D ##$:,.....
.,~:%$###@ SAY. HE  WAS  ALWAYS VERY  CREEPY  ABOUT @###$%:~,.
.,~::%%$$# THIS,   GOING    FOR   GIRLS   MY   AGE. #$$%%::~,.
...~~~:$##                                          ##$:~~~...
.,~:%$@### THIS  NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO  WOO  A ###@$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## GIRL  HE CALLED  A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## SHOES,  BUT  SHE HAD  ACCEPTED THEM ONLY ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## TO RUN AWAY  IMMEDIATELY  AFTERWARD. DAD ##@#$%:~,.
.....,~%%# 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 @$$:,,....
.,~:%$#@##     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     ##@#$%:~,.
....~::%#@ CLOSED, THE  GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED @#%::~....
.,~:%$#@## OFF,  BUT  WE  COULD  STILL SEE  OUR WAY ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## AROUND BY THE LIGHT  SHINING  DOWN  FROM ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## THE   WINDOWS  OF   THE  HIGHER  FLOORS. ##@#$%:~,.
...,,~:$#@                                          @#$:~,,...
.,~:%$#@## SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ##@#$%:~,.
....~~:%$# CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED AT  ME  AGAIN, AND #$%:~~....
.....,~%$#                  SAID -                  #$%~,.....
.....~~%#@                                          @#%~~.....
.,,~::%%$@                :  :  :  :                @$%%::~,,.
......~~%#                                          #%~~......
.......~%# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #%~.......
.,~:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:~,.
.,~:%$$$##                                          ##$$$%:~,.
...~~:$$##                                          ##$$:~~...
.,~:%$#@##                                          ##@#$%:~,.
......~%$@                                          @$%~......