§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨ ¨§¨§¨¨§¨§¨
§§¨¨§§§§¨¨ §§§§§¨§§§§
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨ §¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨§§§§¨¨§§ §§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨ §¨§¨¨§§§§¨
¨¨§§¨¨§§§§ ======================================== ¨§§§¨§¨¨¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨ ¨§¨¨§§§¨¨§
¨§§§§§§§¨¨ 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) ¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨
¨§§§¨§§§§§ §¨§§¨§§§¨§
§§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨§§¨§§¨¨§§
¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨ §§¨§§¨§¨§¨
¨¨§§§§§§¨¨ ¨¨§§¨§§§§§
§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
§§§§¨¨¨¨§§ §¨§§§¨§¨¨¨
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨ ¨§§¨¨§§§¨¨