¨¨¨¨¨.~†%£ £%†~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†% %†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~† †~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~† †~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†% %†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨