,^=*$$#££@                                          @££#$$*=^,
,^=*$$#£@#                                          #@£#$$*=^,
,^=*$$#£@#                                          #@£#$$*=^,
,,,,,^*$##                                          ##$*^,,,,,
,,,,^**$#£                                          £#$**^,,,,
,^=**$$$## **************************************** ##$$$**=^,
,^=*$$#£@#                                          #@£#$$*=^,
,^=*$$#£@#          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          #@£#$$*=^,
,,^^***$$£                                          £$$***^^,,
,^=*$$#£@#                *  *  *  *                #@£#$$*=^,
,^=*$$$$#@                                          @#$$$$*=^,
,^=*$$#£@# 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 @££#$$*=^,
,,,^^^*$## CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED  AT  ME AGAIN, AND ##$*^^^,,,
,^=*$$$$££                  SAID -                  ££$$$$*=^,
,,,,,,^*$#                                          #$*^,,,,,,
,^=*$$#@##                *  *  *  *                ##@#$$*=^,
,^=*$$#£@@                                          @@£#$$*=^,
,,,,,^*$#£ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) £#$*^,,,,,
,^=*$$#££@                                          @££#$$*=^,
,^=*$$#£@# **************************************** #@£#$$*=^,
,,,,=*$$£@                                          @£$$*=,,,,
,^=*$$#£££                                          £££#$$*=^,
,^=$$#£@##                                          ##@£#$$=^,
,^=*$$#£##                                          ##£#$$*=^,
,^=*$$#£@#                                          #@£#$$*=^,