$§†--¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨--†§$
§†--¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨--†§
†--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--†
--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--†
--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨