#¨#¨¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨####¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨#¨#¨¨###¨
#¨#¨¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨##¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨
#¨#¨¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨##¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨
#¨#¨¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨##¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ 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) ¨#¨#¨#¨##¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨
#¨#¨¨#¨##¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨#¨#¨#¨##¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨
#¨#¨¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨##¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨
#¨#¨¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨##¨
#¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨