....~/%%@@                                          @@%%/~....
....~~/$@#                                          #@$/~~....
.,~/%$@@##                                          ##@@$%/~,.
.,~/%$@@##                                          ##@@$%/~,.
.,~/%$@###                                          ###@$%/~,.
...,,/$$@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@$$/,,...
.,~/%$@@##                                          ##@@$%/~,.
.,~/%$@@##          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ##@@$%/~,.
....~%%%%@                                          @%%%%~....
.,~/%$@@##                /  /  /  /                ##@@$%/~,.
.....~%$@#                                          #@$%~.....
.,~///%%@# 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 @%~~......
.,~/%$@@## ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN,  FULL OF JUNIPER ##@@$%/~,.
.....,//$@ AND  THUJA.  IT WAS A LATE EVENING,  AND @$//,.....
....~~/%$@     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     @$%/~~....
.....~%%$@ CLOSED,  THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED @$%%~.....
.,~/%$@@## OFF,  BUT  WE COULD  STILL  SEE OUR  WAY ##@@$%/~,.
.,~/%$@@## AROUND  BY THE  LIGHT SHINING  DOWN FROM ##@@$%/~,.
.,~/%%%$@@ THE   WINDOWS  OF  THE  HIGHER   FLOORS. @@$%%%/~,.
.,~/%$@@##                                          ##@@$%/~,.
.,~//%$$$@ SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT @$$$%//~,.
....,~/$@@ DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED @@$/~,....
......,/$@ CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED  AT ME  AGAIN, AND @$/,......
.,~/%$@@@@                  SAID -                  @@@@$%/~,.
..,,~~/%$@                                          @$%/~~,,..
.,~/%$@@##                /  /  /  /                ##@@$%/~,.
.....~~/$@                                          @$/~~.....
.~/%$@@### (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ###@@$%/~.
...~~~%$$@                                          @$$%~~~...
.,~/%$$@@@ //////////////////////////////////////// @@@$$%/~,.
....,//$@#                                          #@$//,....
.,~~~~~/$@                                          @$/~~~~~,.
.,~/%$@@##                                          ##@@$%/~,.
....,/%%$@                                          @$%%/,....
.......~%@                                          @%~.......