.....~/*%¤                                          ¤%*/~.....
....~/*%¤¶                                          ¶¤%*/~....
...~/*%¤¶#                                          #¶¤%*/~...
..~/*%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%*/~..
...~/*%¤¶#                                          #¶¤%*/~...
....~/*%¤¶ //////////////////////////////////////// ¶¤%*/~....
.....~/*%¤                                          ¤%*/~.....
......~/*%          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) ¤%*/~.....
....~/*%¤¶                                          ¶¤%*/~....
...~/*%¤¶# //////////////////////////////////////// #¶¤%*/~...
..~/*%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%*/~..
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