,&&&&,&,,,                                          &&&,,,&,,&
&,,,&&&,,&                                          ,,&,,&&,&&
&,,&,,&,&,                                          ,&&,&,&&,,
&,&&,&&&&,                                          &,&&&&,&,&
&&,&&,,,&&                                          &&,,,&&&&,
,&&,&,,&,, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,&,,&,,,&&
&,&&&,&&,&                                          &&,&&,,&,&
&&,,&&,&&&          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) &&,,&&,,,&
&&,,,&,&,,                                          ,&,&,&,,&,
,&,,&&&&,, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &&&&&&,&&&
&&,&,,,&,,                                          ,,,,,&&,,&
,&&&,,&&,&                                          ,,,,&,&,&,
&,,&,&,&&&                                          ,,,&&&&&&,
&,&&&&&,,,                                          ,,&,,,,,&&
&&,,,,&,,,                                          ,&&,,,,&,,