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