¨#######¨¨ ¨#¨¨¨¨¨¨¨#
##¨¨¨¨¨¨#¨ ###¨¨¨¨¨¨#
¨¨#¨¨¨¨¨## #¨¨#¨¨¨¨¨#
#¨##¨¨¨¨#¨ ##¨##¨¨¨¨#
¨##¨#¨¨¨## #¨##¨#¨¨¨#
##¨###¨¨#¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ###¨###¨¨#
¨¨##¨¨#¨## #¨¨##¨¨#¨#
#¨#¨#¨###¨ 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) ##¨#¨##¨#¨
#¨¨#¨¨#### ¨¨####¨###
¨#¨##¨#¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// #¨#¨¨¨##¨¨
¨###¨###¨¨ ¨###¨¨#¨#¨
¨#¨¨##¨¨#¨ ¨#¨¨#¨####
###¨#¨#¨## ###¨###¨¨¨
#¨¨######¨ #¨¨##¨¨#¨¨
##¨#¨¨¨¨¨# ##¨#¨#¨##¨