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