@=---,,,,,                                          ,,,,,---=@
@#%%%=:-^,                                          ,^-:=%%%#@
#@#@%=:-^,                                          ,^-:=%@#@#
###@%=:-^,                                          ,^-:=%@###
###@%=:-^,                                          ,^-:=%@###
#@#@%=:-^, :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ,^-:=%@#@#
#@=-^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^-=@#
@%:^,,,,,,          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) ,,,,,,-=@#
#%%%=::-^,                                          ,^-::=%%%#
##@#@%:-^, :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ,^-:%@#@##
#@#@%=:-^,                                          ,^-:=%@#@#
@@#@%=:-^,                                          ,^-:=%@#@@
@@#@%=:-^,                                          ,^-:=%@#@@
@%:^^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^^:%@
#%=:^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^:=%#