&¨&¨¨&¨&&& ¨&¨¨&&&&&¨
&&&¨&&&¨¨¨ &&¨&¨¨¨¨&&
¨¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨&&&¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&¨&¨&&¨¨¨ &¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨
&&&&&¨&¨¨& &¨&&¨&¨&¨¨
¨¨¨¨&&&¨&& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: &&¨&&&&&¨&
¨¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨&&&
¨¨&&¨&¨&¨¨ 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) &&&&¨&¨&¨¨
¨&&¨&¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨&&&&&¨¨
&¨&&&&¨¨&& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨
&&¨¨¨&¨&¨& ¨&&¨¨¨&&¨&
¨&¨¨&&&&&¨ &¨&¨¨&¨&&¨
&&¨&¨¨¨¨&¨ &&&¨&&&¨&¨
¨&&&¨¨¨&&& ¨¨&&¨¨&&&&
&¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨¨¨&