.^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^.
.^~~~\$&##                                          ##&$\~~~^.
.^~~~~\$##                                          ##$\~~~~^.
.^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^.
.^~\\*$$$#                                          #$$$*\\~^.
.^~\*$$$$& \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ &$$$$*\~^.
.^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&###          mouse girl likes shoes          ###&$*\~^.
.....^\$&#                                          #&$\^.....
.....^\$##                \  \  \  \                ##$\^.....
.^~\$&####                                          ####&$\~^.
.^~\*$&### in this  dream i  was  a girl  of  maybe ###&$*\~^.
.....~**$# sixteen years,  together  with my dad in #$**~.....
.^~\*$&### a  huge bath  house  /  spa  /  hotel  / ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&### shopping centre.       dad was constatly ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&### pointing out hot girls  to me.  "you see ###&$*\~^.
.....~\*$&   that black-haired thing dissapearing   &$*\~.....
.^~\*$&### behind  the  clothes  rack?  oof!"  he'd ###&$*\~^.
..^^~~\\*& say. he  was  always very  creepy  about &*\\~~^^..
.^~\*$&### this,    going   for   girls   my   age. ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^.
....^^\$&# this  night he had just tried to  woo  a #&$\^^....
.^~\*$&### girl  he called a "mouse" by  buying her ###&$*\~^.
....~\$$$# 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 -                  #$$***\~^.
.^~\*$$$##                                          ##$$$*\~^.
.^~\*&####                \  \  \  \                ####&*\~^.
...^\\\$&&                                          &&$\\\^...
.^~\*$&### (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&### \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^.
...~~~*&&#                                          #&&*~~~...
.^~\*$&###                                          ###&$*\~^.
.^~\*$$$$&                                          &$$$$*\~^.
..^~\*$$&#                                          #&$$*\~^..