¨¨¨¨¨,=†*£ £*†=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=†*£& &£*†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=†*£&# #&£*†=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=†*£&## ##&£*†=,¨¨
¨,=†*£&### ###&£*†=,¨
¨¨,=†*£&## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##&£*†=,¨¨
¨¨¨,=†*£&# #&£*†=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=†*£& 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) £*†=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†* *†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=† †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† †=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,= =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,= =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨