##$=:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:=$##
###$=:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:=$###
####$=:~,¨ ¨,~:=$####
###$=:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:=$###
##$=:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:=$##
#$=:~,¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨,~:=$#
$=:~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~:=$
=:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:=
$=:~,¨¨¨¨¨ SAID - ¨¨¨¨¨,~:=$
#$=:~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~:=$#
##$=:~,¨¨¨ : : : : ¨¨¨,~:=$##
###$=:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:=$###
####$=:~,¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨,~:=$####
###$=:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:=$###
##$=:~,¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨,~:=$##
#$=:~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~:=$#
$=:~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~:=$
=:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:=
:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~