¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨                                          §§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§          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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨