...««/%¤¤@                                          @¤¤%/««...
.,«/%%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%%/«,.
......«%¤¤                                          ¤¤%«......
.,«/%%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%%/«,.
.,«/%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%/«,.
......,/%¤ //////////////////////////////////////// ¤%/,......
.,«%%¤#@##                                          ##@#¤%%«,.
.....«%%¤¤          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) ##¤¤%%/«,.
.....,/%%¤                                          ¤%%/,.....
.,«/%%¤¤¤¤ //////////////////////////////////////// ¤¤¤¤%%/«,.
.....,//%#                                          #%//,.....
.....,,/%¤                                          ¤%/,,.....
.....,//%#                                          #%//,.....
.,«/%%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%%/«,.
.,««««%%¤@                                          @¤%%««««,.