@¨¨@@@¨@@¨ ¨@@¨¨¨@@@¨
@¨@¨¨@@¨@@ @¨@¨¨@¨¨@@
@@@¨@¨@@¨@ @@@¨@@¨@¨¨
¨¨@@@@¨@@¨ ¨¨@@¨@@@¨@
¨@¨¨¨@@¨@¨ ¨@¨@@¨¨@@@
@@¨¨@¨@@@@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @@@¨@¨@¨¨@
¨@¨@@@¨¨¨@ ¨¨@@@@@¨@¨
@@@¨¨@¨¨@¨ 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) ¨¨@@¨¨¨@¨¨
@@@@¨@¨¨¨¨ ¨@¨@¨¨@@¨¨
¨¨¨@@@¨¨¨@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @@@@¨@¨@¨@
¨¨@¨¨@¨¨@¨ ¨¨¨@@@@@@@
¨@@¨@@¨@@@ ¨¨@¨¨¨¨¨¨@
@¨@@¨@@¨¨@ ¨@@¨¨¨¨¨@@
@@¨@@¨@¨@¨ @¨@¨¨¨¨@¨¨
¨@@¨@@@@@¨ @@@¨¨¨@@¨@