#$†;-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-;†$#
$†;-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-;†$
†;-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;†
;-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;
-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;†
;-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;
-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨