.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
».¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.»
†».¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.»†
^†».¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.»†^
£^†».¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.»†^£
¤£^†».¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨.»†^£¤
#¤£^†».¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.»†^£¤#
@#¤£^†».¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.»†
».¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.»
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨