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