,,:-†*$@¶@                                          @¶@$*†-:,,
,,,:-†*$@¶                                          ¶@$*†-:,,,
,,,,:-†*$@                                          @$*†-:,,,,
,,,,,:-†*$                                          $*†-:,,,,,
,,,,:-†*$@                                          @$*†-:,,,,
,,,:-†*$@¶ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¶@$*†-:,,,
,,:-†*$@¶@                                          @¶@$*†-:,,
,:-†*$@¶@#          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) @¶@$*†-:,,
,,,:-†*$@¶                                          ¶@$*†-:,,,
,,,,:-†*$@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @$*†-:,,,,
,,,,,:-†*$                                          $*†-:,,,,,
,,,,:-†*$@                                          @$*†-:,,,,
,,,:-†*$@¶                                          ¶@$*†-:,,,
,,:-†*$@¶@                                          @¶@$*†-:,,
,:-†*$@¶@#                                          #@¶@$*†-:,