^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
\^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨^\*%#¶@##
#@¶#%*\^¨¨ ¨¨^\*%#¶@#
@¶#%*\^¨¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨^\*%#¶@
¶#%*\^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^\*%#¶
#%*\^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^\*%#
%*\^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^\*%
*\^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^\*
\^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^\