¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨ §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨§ §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ 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) §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨¨§¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨