.....^==$%                                          %$==^.....
....^==$%£                                          £%$==^....
...^==$%££                                          ££%$==^...
..^==$%££#                                          #££%$==^..
.^==$%££##                                          ##££%$==^.
..^==$%££# ======================================== #££%$==^..
...^==$%££                                          ££%$==^...
....^==$%£          mouse girl likes shoes          £%$==^....
.....^==$%                                          %$==^.....
......^==$                =  =  =  =                $==^......
.......^==                                          ==^.......
........^= in this dream  i was  a  girl  of  maybe =^........
.........^ sixteen years, together  with my  dad in ^.........
........^= a  huge  bath  house  /  spa /  hotel  / =^........
.......^== shopping centre.       dad was constatly ==^.......
......^==$ 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) %$==^.....
....^==$%£                                          £%$==^....
...^==$%££ ======================================== ££%$==^...
..^==$%££#                                          #££%$==^..
.^==$%££##                                          ##££%$==^.
..^==$%££#                                          #££%$==^..
...^==$%££                                          ££%$==^...
....^==$%£                                          £%$==^....