§§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨¨§¨¨§§§§¨
§¨§§§§§§§¨ ¨¨§§¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§ §¨§¨§§§¨¨§
§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨§§§§¨¨§¨§
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§ ¨§¨¨¨§¨§§§
§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ §§§¨¨§§§¨¨
§§§§¨§§¨¨§ §¨¨§¨§¨¨§¨
§¨¨¨§§¨§¨§ 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) §¨§§§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§§¨ ¨§§¨¨§§§§§
§§§§¨§¨§¨§ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨§§§§¨¨§§§