#,,#,,,##, #,,#,,#,##
#,##,,#,#, #,##,###,,
##,#,####, ##,##,,#,#
,####,,,## ,##,#,###,
#,,,#,,#,, #,####,,#,
#,,##,##,# ======================================== ##,,,#,###
#,#,##,### ,#,,###,,,
####,##,,, 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) ,,##,,,,,,
,,###,##,, ,#,#,,,,,#
,#,,##,#,# ======================================== ####,,,,##
##,#,####, ,,,#,,,#,#
,####,,,## ,,##,,###,
#,,,#,,#,, ,#,#,#,,#,
#,,##,##,, ######,###
#,#,##,#,# ,,,,,##,,,