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