###@$§=-^¨                                          ¨^-=§$@###
@@§§-^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^-§§@@
###@$§=-^¨                                          ¨^-=§$@###
####@§=-^¨                                          ¨^-=§@####
###@$§=-^¨                                          ¨^-=§$@###
###@$§=-^¨ ======================================== ¨^-=§$@###
@@@$=--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--=$@@@
#@§§-¨¨¨¨¨          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) ¨^-=§@####
###@$§=-^¨                                          ¨^-=§$@###
###@$§=-^¨ ======================================== ¨^-=§$@###
###@$§=-^¨                                          ¨^-=§$@###
@§=^¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=§@
###@$§=-^¨                                          ¨^-=§$@###
#@§=^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^=§@#
#@$§===-^¨                                          ¨^-===§$@#