¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~/ /~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~/§ //////////////////////////////////////// §/~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~/§% %§/~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~/§%§ 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) @§%§/~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~/§%§@# #@§%§/~:¨¨
¨:~/§%§@## //////////////////////////////////////// ##@§%§/~:¨
¨¨:~/§%§@# #@§%§/~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~/§%§@ @§%§/~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~/§%§ §%§/~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~/§% %§/~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~/§ §/~:¨¨¨¨¨¨