#%%$\~~,,, ,,,~~\$%%#
####%$\=~, ,~=\$%####
#@##%$\=~, ,~=\$%##@#
#%\=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=\%#
###%%$\=~, ,~=\$%%###
@@##%$\=~, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ,~=\$%##@@
#@##%$\=~, ,~=\$%##@#
@@##%$\=~, MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ,~=\$%##@@
##%%%$\=~, ,~=\$%%%##
#@##%$\=~, \ \ \ \ ,~=\$%##@#
###%$\=~~, ,~~=\$%###
#@##%$\=~, IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ,~=\$%##@#
#%$\===,,, 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 - ,~=\$%####
##@##%$=~, ,~=$%##@##
#@##%$\=~, \ \ \ \ ,~=\$%##@#
#@##%$\=~, ,~=\$%##@#
##@##%$\=~ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ~=\$%##@##
#%%%%$\=~, ,~=\$%%%%#
##%%$\\=~, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ,~=\\$%%##
##%$$\~,,, ,,,~\$$%##
@#%\\==,,, ,,,==\\%#@
@@##%$\=~, ,~=\$%##@@
@#$$\~,,,, ,,,,~\$$#@
#%%%%$\=~, ,~=\$%%%%#