¨§¨¨§§¨§¨§ ¨¨§¨§§¨§§§
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§ §¨¨¨§§¨§¨§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨§ §§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨§§¨§ §§§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨ §¨§¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§§§¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ 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) ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ §¨¨¨§§§¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ §¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨§¨§§¨ ¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨