¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          §¨¨§§¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨§§§¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨§ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨          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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨