........«/                                          /«........
.......«/*                                          */«.......
......«/**                                          **/«......
.....«/**@                                          @**/«.....
....«/**@£                                          £@**/«....
...«/**@£@ //////////////////////////////////////// @£@**/«...
..«/**@£@#                                          #@£@**/«..
...«/**@£@          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) **/«......
.......«/*                                          */«.......
........«/ //////////////////////////////////////// /«........
.........«                                          «.........
........«/                                          /«........
.......«/*                                          */«.......
......«/**                                          **/«......
.....«/**@                                          @**/«.....