,:~^*%@¶##                                          ##¶@%*^~:,
,:~^*%@¶##                                          ##¶@%*^~:,
,,,,,~^%@¶                                          ¶@%^~,,,,,
,:~^%@¶###                                          ###¶@%^~:,
,,:~~^^%¶#                                          #¶%^^~~:,,
,:~^%@¶### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###¶@%^~:,
,:~^*%@###                                          ###@%*^~:,
,:~^^***@¶          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) ##¶@%*^~:,
,,,,:~~*%¶                                          ¶%*~~:,,,,
,,,~^^%@¶# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #¶@%^^~,,,
,:~^*%@###                                          ###@%*^~:,
,:~^*%@¶##                                          ##¶@%*^~:,
,:~^*%@¶##                                          ##¶@%*^~:,
,,,,,~~*%¶                                          ¶%*~~,,,,,
,,,:~^**%@                                          @%**^~:,,,