...^^^^$$#                                          #$$^^^^...
.^=^$%#£##                                          ##£#%$^=^.
.....=$###                                          ###$=.....
.^=^$%%#£#                                          #£#%%$^=^.
.^==^^$%#£                                          £#%$^^==^.
...^^^%%#£ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ £#%%^^^...
.^=^$%#£##                                          ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$%%%##          mouse girl likes shoes          ##%%%$^=^.
...^==$%##                                          ##%$==^...
.^=^$%#£##                ^  ^  ^  ^                ##£#%$^=^.
..^=^^%%##                                          ##%%^^=^..
.....^^$## in this  dream i  was  a  girl  of maybe ##$^^.....
.^=^$%#££# sixteen years,  together with my dad  in #££#%$^=^.
.^=^$%#£## a  huge  bath house  /  spa  /  hotel  / ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$%#£## shopping centre.       dad was constatly ##£#%$^=^.
....==$$%£ pointing out hot  girls to me. "you  see £%$$==....
.....==^%#   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 £%%%^^^=^.
.....^^$%#     the stars were glittering. being     #%$^^.....
.^=^$%#£## closed, the garden had its light  turned ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$%#£## off,  but  we could still  see  our  way ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$$$### around  by  the light shining down  from ###$$$^=^.
.^=^$#£### the  windows  of  the   higher   floors. ###£#$^=^.
.^=^$%#£##                                          ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$%#£## she lay down in a  patch of grass. i sat ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$%%### down  on  my  knees,  and  then  crawled ###%%$^=^.
.^=^$%#£## closer. she  laughed  at  me  again, and ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$%#£##                  said -                  ##£#%$^=^.
....^^^%##                                          ##%^^^....
....=^%%#£                ^  ^  ^  ^                £#%%^=....
.^=^$%%%##                                          ##%%%$^=^.
....^^$$%# (here i am awakened by the morning crew) #%$$^^....
.^=^%#£###                                          ###£#%^=^.
.^=^$%#£## ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ##£#%$^=^.
..^==^$%£#                                          #£%$^==^..
.^=^$%#£##                                          ##£#%$^=^.
.^=^$%%%£#                                          #£%%%$^=^.
.^=^$%####                                          ####%$^=^.
.^=^$%#£##                                          ##£#%$^=^.