@¤¤====~^¨                                          ¨^~====¤¤@
##@¤¤==~^¨                                          ¨^~==¤¤@##
#¤¤=~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~=¤¤#
@¤¤===^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^===¤¤@
¤¤=^^^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^^^=¤¤
#@¤=~^^¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨^^~=¤@#
¤=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=¤
¤¤¤=~~¨¨¨¨          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) ¨^~==¤¤@##
##@¤¤==~^¨                                          ¨^~==¤¤@##
¤===~^¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨¨^~===¤
##@¤¤==~^¨                                          ¨^~==¤¤@##
#@¤¤==^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^==¤¤@#
##@¤¤==~^¨                                          ¨^~==¤¤@##
@¤¤¤¤==~^¨                                          ¨^~==¤¤¤¤@
@¤¤=^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^=¤¤@