§§¨¨¨§§¨§¨ ¨§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨§§§§ §§¨§§§¨§¨§
§§¨§§§¨¨¨§ ¨§§¨¨§§§§§
¨§§¨¨§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§¨§§¨§§§ §§§§§¨¨¨¨¨
§§§§¨§§¨¨§ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨§§¨§¨§¨ ¨¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨§§§§§¨ 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) ¨§§§§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§§§¨¨ §¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; §¨¨¨§§¨¨§§
§¨¨§¨¨§§§¨ §¨¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§§¨§¨¨§¨ §¨§§§§§§§¨
§§¨§§§¨§§§ §§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§¨¨§§¨¨¨ ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨ §§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨