&¨&&&¨¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨&¨&&¨¨
¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨& ¨&&¨¨¨&&&¨
¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨ ¨&&&¨¨&¨&&
&¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨ ¨&¨&&¨¨¨&&
&&¨¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨
&&&¨¨¨&¨&& ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨
&¨&&¨¨¨¨&& &&¨¨¨&&&¨¨
¨¨&&&¨¨¨&¨ 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) &&¨¨¨&&&¨¨
¨¨&&&¨¨&¨& &&&¨¨&¨&&¨
¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨& ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &¨&&¨¨¨&&&
&¨¨¨&&&¨¨& ¨¨&&&¨¨&¨&
&&¨¨&¨&&¨¨ ¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨&
¨&&¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨&
¨&&&¨¨&¨&& ¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨
¨&¨&&¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨¨¨¨&&&¨