¨§¨¨§§¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§§§¨§¨§¨§§ §¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨§§§§§§¨ §§¨§¨§¨¨§§
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§ §¨§§§§§¨§¨
¨§§§§¨¨¨¨§ ¨§§¨¨¨¨§§§
§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §§¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨§¨¨§§¨¨§ §¨§§§¨¨§§¨
§§§§¨§¨§¨§ 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) ¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨¨§§¨§¨ ¨§§¨¨¨§¨§§
§§§¨¨§¨§§§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §§¨§¨¨§§§¨
§¨¨§¨§§§¨¨ §¨§§§¨§¨¨§
¨§¨§§§¨¨§¨ §§§¨¨§§§¨§
§§§§¨¨§¨§§ §¨¨§¨§¨¨§§
¨¨¨¨§¨§§§¨ §§¨§§§§¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§ §¨§§¨¨¨§§§