,--=^%£###                                          ###£%^=--,
,--=^%%%%£                                          £%%%%^=--,
,,,,,,-=^£                                          £^=-,,,,,,
,,,,,--=%£                                          £%=--,,,,,
,--=^%£###                                          ###£%^=--,
,--=^%£### ======================================== ###£%^=--,
,--=^^^%££                                          ££%^^^=--,
,---==%£££          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) #££%=-,,,,
,,,---=%%£                                          £%%=---,,,
,,,,,,-=^£ ======================================== £^=-,,,,,,
,,,--^^%£#                                          #£%^^--,,,
,--=^%£###                                          ###£%^=--,
,--=^%£###                                          ###£%^=--,
,,--===^££                                          ££^===--,,
,--=^%£###                                          ###£%^=--,