&,&,,,,&&,                                          &,&,,&&&&,
&&&&,,,&,&                                          ,&&&,&,,,&
,,,,&,,&&&                                          ,&,,&&&,,&
&,,,&&,&,,                                          &&&,&,,&,&
,&,,&,&&&,                                          ,,,&&&,&&&
&&&,&&&,,& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &,,&,,&&,,
&,,&&,,&,&                                          ,&,&&,&,&,
&&,&,&,&&&          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) ,,&&&&&,&,
,,,,&,&,&,                                          ,,&,,,,&&&
&,,,&&&&&& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,,&&,,,&,,
&&,,&,,,,,                                          &,&,&,,&&,
&,&,&&,,,,                                          ,&&&&&,&,&
,&&&&,&,,,                                          ,&,,,,&&&&
&&,,,&&&,,                                          &&&,,,&,,,
&,&,,&,,&,                                          &,,&,,&&,,