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