¨§§¨§¨§§§§ ¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§§§¨¨¨ §§§¨§¨§¨¨¨
¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨§§§§§¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨§§¨ §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨§§¨§§¨§¨§ §§¨§§¨¨¨§§
§§¨§§¨§§§§ //////////////////////////////////////// §¨§§¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨§§¨§§§¨§§
¨§§¨§§¨§¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨§¨¨§§§§
§¨§§§¨§§§§ ¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨¨
§§§¨¨§§¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// §¨¨§¨§§§¨¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨§¨§§§¨¨§¨
§§¨§§§§§§¨ ¨§§§¨¨§¨§§
¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§ §§¨¨§¨§§§¨
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§ §¨§¨§§§¨¨§
§¨§§§§¨¨¨§ ¨§§§§¨¨§¨§