§§¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨
§§¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨¨¨§§¨
§§§¨¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§§¨
§¨§§¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨§§¨
¨¨§§§¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨§¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨          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) §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §§§¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          §¨§§¨¨¨¨§§