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