.........^                                          ^.........
........^~                                          ~^........
.......^~:                                          :~^.......
......^~:*                                          *:~^......
.....^~:*%                                          %*:~^.....
....^~:*%§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §%*:~^....
...^~:*%§#                                          #§%*:~^...
..^~:*%§##          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) ###§%*:~^.
..^~:*%§##                                          ##§%*:~^..
...^~:*%§# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #§%*:~^...
....^~:*%§                                          §%*:~^....
.....^~:*%                                          %*:~^.....
......^~:*                                          *:~^......
.......^~:                                          :~^.......
........^~                                          ~^........