....,~=*$¤                                          ¤$*=~,....
.....,~=*$                                          $*=~,.....
....,~=*$¤                                          ¤$*=~,....
...,~=*$¤@                                          @¤$*=~,...
..,~=*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*=~,..
.,~=*$¤@## ======================================== ##@¤$*=~,.
..,~=*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*=~,..
...,~=*$¤@          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) ¤$*=~,....
.....,~=*$                                          $*=~,.....
....,~=*$¤ ======================================== ¤$*=~,....
...,~=*$¤@                                          @¤$*=~,...
..,~=*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*=~,..
.,~=*$¤@##                                          ##@¤$*=~,.
..,~=*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*=~,..
...,~=*$¤@                                          @¤$*=~,...