.~==§¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤§==~.
.~==§¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤§==~.
......==¤¶                                          ¶¤==......
...~==¤£¶#                                          #¶£¤==~...
......~=¤£                                          £¤=~......
.~==§¤£¶¶# ======================================== #¶¶£¤§==~.
.~==§¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤§==~.
....====¤£          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) £§§==.....
.....=§§£¶                                          ¶£§§=.....
....=§§£¶¶ ======================================== ¶¶£§§=....
.~==§¤££¶¶                                          ¶¶££¤§==~.
.~==§£¶###                                          ###¶£§==~.
.~==§¤¤£¶¶                                          ¶¶£¤¤§==~.
.~==§¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤§==~.
.~=§¤£¶###                                          ###¶£¤§=~.