,&,,,&&&&&                                          &,,,,,,,,&
&&&,,&,,,,                                          ,&,,,,,,,&
,,,&,&&,,,                                          &&&,,,,,,&
&,,&&&,&,,                                          ,,,&,,,,,&
,&,&,,&&&,                                          ,,,&&,,,,&
&&&&&,&,,& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: &,,&,&,,,&
,,,,,&&&,&                                          ,&,&&&&,,&
&,,,,&,,&&          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) &&,&,&,&&,
,,&,,&,&,&                                          ,,&&&&&&,&
&,&&,&&&&& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: &,&,,,,,&&
,&&,&&,,,,                                          &&&&,,,,&,
,&,&&,&,,,                                          ,,,,&,,,&&
&&&&,&&&,,                                          ,,,,&&,,&,
&,,,&&,,&,                                          ,,,,&,&,&&
,&,,&,&,&&                                          &,,,&&&&&,