-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-
;-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;
*;-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;*
¤*;-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-;*¤
¶¤*;-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-;*¤¶
@¶¤*;-,¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨,-;*¤¶@
#@¶¤*;-,¨¨ ¨¨,-;*¤¶@#
##@¶¤*;-,¨ 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) ¨¨,-;*¤¶@#
@¶¤*;-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-;*¤¶@
¶¤*;-,¨¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨¨,-;*¤¶
¤*;-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-;*¤
*;-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;*
;-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-;
-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,