.,~:%@£@##                                          ##@£@%:~,.
.,~:%@££@@                                          @@££@%:~,.
.,~:%@£@@@                                          @@@£@%:~,.
.,~:%@£@##                                          ##@£@%:~,.
.,~:%@£@##                                          ##@£@%:~,.
.,~:%%%%%£ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: £%%%%%:~,.
....~%@@@£                                          £@@@%~....
.,~:@£@###          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) #£%~......
....,:%@@@                                          @@@%:,....
.....,~%£# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #£%~,.....
......~%%£                                          £%%~......
.,~:%@£@##                                          ##@£@%:~,.
.,~:%@£@##                                          ##@£@%:~,.
..,,::@@££                                          ££@@::,,..
...~:%@@@@                                          @@@@%:~...