.,«=*¤§@##                                          ##@§¤*=«,.
....,==¤@@                                          @@¤==,....
.,«=*¤§@##                                          ##@§¤*=«,.
.,«==*¤§§#                                          #§§¤*==«,.
.,«=*¤§@##                                          ##@§¤*=«,.
,«=*¤§@### ======================================== ###@§¤*=«,
.,«=*¤§###                                          ###§¤*=«,.
.,«=*¤¤¤§§          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) ###§¤*=«,.
.,«==*¤¤¤§                                          §¤¤¤*==«,.
....«*¤§§# ======================================== #§§¤*«....
.,«=*¤§@##                                          ##@§¤*=«,.
.,«=*¤@###                                          ###@¤*=«,.
....,«=¤§@                                          @§¤=«,....
.,«=****¤§                                          §¤****=«,.
.....«=*¤§                                          §¤*=«.....