¨¨¨¨¨==\%¶                                          ¶%\==¨¨¨¨¨
¨~=\^%§¶##                                          ##¶§%^\=~¨
¨~=\^%§§§¶                                          ¶§§§%^\=~¨
¨~~~\^^%§#                                          #§%^^\~~~¨
¨¨¨=\^^%§#                                          #§%^^\=¨¨¨
¨¨¨~\\\%§# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #§%\\\~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~~=^§                                          §^=~~~¨¨¨¨
¨~=\^%§¶##          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) §%^^^=~¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~~~\^§                                          §^\~~~~¨¨¨
¨~=\^%§¶## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##¶§%^\=~¨
¨¨¨=\\^%%¶                                          ¶%%^\\=¨¨¨
¨~=\^^^^%¶                                          ¶%^^^^\=~¨
¨¨¨~==^§§#                                          #§§^==~¨¨¨
~=\^%§¶###                                          ###¶§%^\=~
¨~=\^^^%¶¶                                          ¶¶%^^^\=~¨