##¶#@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@#¶##
##¶#@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@#¶##
¶###@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@###¶
¶¶¶#@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@#¶¶¶
¶@@%~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~%@@¶
####@%*~,¨ **************************************** ¨,~*%@####
¶¶#@@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@@#¶¶
####@%*~,¨          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) ¨,~*%@#¶##
####@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@####
##¶#@%*~,¨ **************************************** ¨,~*%@#¶##
#@*~~~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~~~*@#
#¶¶#@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@#¶¶#
####@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@####
##¶#@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@#¶##
##¶#@%*~,¨                                          ¨,~*%@#¶##