##@#@=/~~. .~~/=@#@##
#=~~~~.... ....~~~~=#
##@#@=/~~. .~~/=@#@##
@@#@/~.... ....~/@#@@
@##@=/~~~. .~~~/=@##@
#@/~~..... //////////////////////////////////////// .....~~/@#
####@=/~~. .~~/=@####
@@##@=/~~. 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) .~~/=@#@##
#@@#@=/~~. .~~/=@#@@#
####@=/~~. //////////////////////////////////////// .~~/=@####
##@#@=/~~. .~~/=@#@##
@@@=~~~... ...~~~=@@@
###==/~... ...~/==###
###@#@=/~~ ~~/=@#@###
##@#@=/~~. .~~/=@#@##