¶$*~^.....                                          .....^~*$¶
#$^^......                                          ......^^$#
##*^~^....                                          ....^~^*##
##¶#$*^~^.                                          .^~^*$#¶##
#¶#$$*^~^.                                          .^~^*$$#¶#
##*^^~.... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ....~^^*##
##¶#$*^~^.                                          .^~^*$#¶##
##¶#$*^~^.          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          .^~^*$#¶##
¶#$*^^~...                                          ...~^^*$#¶
##¶#$*^~^.                ^  ^  ^  ^                .^~^*$#¶##
####$*^~^.                                          .^~^*$####
#$$^~~.... IN THIS  DREAM  I WAS  A GIRL  OF  MAYBE ....~~^$$#
¶$*^^..... SIXTEEN  YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD  IN .....^^*$¶
##¶#$*^~^. A  HUGE  BATH HOUSE  /  SPA  /  HOTEL  / .^~^*$#¶##
##¶#$*^~^. SHOPPING CENTRE.       DAD WAS CONSTATLY .^~^*$#¶##
##¶#$*^~^. POINTING OUT  HOT GIRLS  TO ME. "YOU SEE .^~^*$#¶##
##¶#$*^~^.   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   .^~^*$#¶##
#*~^^^.... 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) .....^~*#¶
¶$^~~~^^^.                                          .^^^~~~^$¶
###*^~.... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ....~^*###
##¶#$*^~^.                                          .^~^*$#¶##
##¶#$*^~^.                                          .^~^*$#¶##
##¶#$*^~^.                                          .^~^*$#¶##
#*^^^.....                                          .....^^^*#
¶¶#***^~^.                                          .^~^***#¶¶