,,,^=^^&@@                                          @@&^^=^,,,
,,^^^==^&&                                          &&^==^^^,,
,,,,^\@&&#                                          #&&@\^,,,,
,^=\^@&&@@                                          @@&&@^\=^,
,,,^^\\@&#                                          #&@\\^^,,,
,^==\\@&&# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #&&@\\==^,
,^=\^@&@##                                          ##@&@^\=^,
,^=\^@&@##          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) #&&^=^,,,,
,,,,,=^^^&                                          &^^^=,,,,,
,,,,=^@@@@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @@@@^=,,,,
,^=\^@&@##                                          ##@&@^\=^,
,^=\^^^^&#                                          #&^^^^\=^,
,^=\^@&@##                                          ##@&@^\=^,
,^=\^@&@##                                          ##@&@^\=^,
,^==\^^@&&                                          &&@^^\==^,