=†«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«†=
†«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«†
«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 - ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
†«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«†
=†«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ † † † † ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«†=
$=†«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«†=$
¤$=†«:¨¨¨¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨¨¨¨:«†=$¤
@¤$=†«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«†=$¤@
#@¤$=†«:¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨:«†=$¤@#
##@¤$=†«:¨ ¨:«†=$¤@##
#@¤$=†«:¨¨ ¨¨:«†=$¤@#
@¤$=†«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«†=$¤@
¤$=†«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«†=$¤
$=†«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«†=$