¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/ /~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/ /~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/% %/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~/%§ §%/~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~/%§# //////////////////////////////////////// #§%/~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~/%§## ##§%/~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~/%§##@ 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) ##§%/~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~/%§# #§%/~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~/%§ //////////////////////////////////////// §%/~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/% %/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/ /~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/ /~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/% %/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨