@@*^=«^,,,                                          ,,,^«=^*@@
@*^=«^,,,,                                          ,,,,^«=^*@
@@*^=«^,,,                                          ,,,^«=^*@@
#@@*^=«^,,                                          ,,^«=^*@@#
##@@*^=«^,                                          ,^«=^*@@##
#@@*^=«^,, ======================================== ,,^«=^*@@#
@@*^=«^,,,                                          ,,,^«=^*@@
@*^=«^,,,,          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) ,,,^«=^*@@
#@@*^=«^,,                                          ,,^«=^*@@#
##@@*^=«^, ======================================== ,^«=^*@@##
#@@*^=«^,,                                          ,,^«=^*@@#
@@*^=«^,,,                                          ,,,^«=^*@@
@*^=«^,,,,                                          ,,,,^«=^*@
@@*^=«^,,,                                          ,,,^«=^*@@
#@@*^=«^,,                                          ,,^«=^*@@#