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