¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¨¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ 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) ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤