#§$;~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~;$§#
@#§$;~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~;$§#@
#@#§$;~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~;$§#@#
##@#§$;~^¨                                          ¨^~;$§#@##
#@#§$;~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~;$§#@#
@#§$;~^¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨^~;$§#@
#§$;~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~;$§#
§$;~^¨¨¨¨¨          mouse girl likes shoes          ¨¨¨¨¨^~;$§
$;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;$
;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                ;  ;  ;  ;                ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 -                  ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;
$;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨                ;  ;  ;  ;                ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;$
§$;~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~;$§
#§$;~^¨¨¨¨ (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ¨¨¨¨^~;$§#
@#§$;~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~;$§#@
#@#§$;~^¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨^~;$§#@#
##@#§$;~^¨                                          ¨^~;$§#@##
#@#§$;~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~;$§#@#
@#§$;~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~;$§#@
#§$;~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~;$§#
§$;~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~;$§