§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ §¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
§§§§§§¨§¨§ §§¨¨§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨¨¨§§§§§ ¨§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨ §§§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§ ¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨ **************************************** ¨§¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨§§§§¨¨§§§ §§§§§¨§¨¨¨
§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨§ 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) §¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨ §§§¨¨§§§§¨
§§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨§¨¨§§§§¨§ ¨§§§§¨¨§§§
§§¨§¨¨¨§§¨ §¨¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨§§ §¨¨§§§§¨§¨
§¨¨§¨§§§¨¨ §¨§¨¨¨§§§¨
§¨§§§¨¨§¨§ §§§¨¨§¨¨§§