.-«/=*#@## ##@#*=/«-.
.-«/=*#### ####*=/«-.
.-«/////*@ @*/////«-.
.-«/=*#@## ##@#*=/«-.
.-«/=*#@@@ @@@#*=/«-.
.-«/=*#@## //////////////////////////////////////// ##@#*=/«-.
.-«/=*#@## ##@#*=/«-.
.-«////=#@ 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) #=/-......
......«/*@ @*/«......
....-///*# //////////////////////////////////////// #*///-....
.-«=*#@### ###@#*=«-.
....««/=#@ @#=/««....
....---/*@ @*/---....
...««==**@ @**==««...
.-«/=*#@@@ @@@#*=/«-.