&&,,,&,,&&                                          &&&,,,&&,,
,,,&,,,,,&                                          &&,,&,,,,,
&&,,,&&&,,                                          &,,,,,&&&&
&,,&,,&,,,                                          ,,&&&,,&&&
,,,,,,,,&&                                          &,,&,,,,&&
,&&&&&&,,& ======================================== ,,,,,&&,,,
,,&&&&,,,,                                          &&&&,,,,&&
,,,&&,,&&&          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) &&&&&&&&,,
,,,,,&,,&&                                          &&&&&&&,,,
&&&&,,,,,& ======================================== &&&&&&,,&&
&&&,,&&&,,                                          &&&&&,,,,&
&&,,,,&,,&                                          &&&&,,&&,,
,,,&&,,,,,                                          &&&,,,,,,,
&&,,,,&&&,                                          ,&,,&&&&&&
&,,&&,,&,,                                          ,,,,,&&&&&