¨¨§¨§§§§¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
¨§§¨¨§§§¨§ §§¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨§¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ 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) ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨§¨