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