*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*
%*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*%
$%*-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-*%$
£$%*-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-*%$£
@£$%*-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-*%$£@
#@£$%*-,¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨,-*%$£@#
##@£$%*-,¨ ¨,-*%$£@##
#@£$%*-,¨¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨¨,-*%$£@#
@£$%*-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-*%$£@
£$%*-,¨¨¨¨ * * * * ¨¨¨¨,-*%$£
$%*-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-*%$
%*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*
%*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*%
$%*-,¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨,-*%$
£$%*-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-*%$£
@£$%*-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-*%$£@
#@£$%*-,¨¨ ¨¨,-*%$£@#
##@£$%*-,¨ ¨,-*%$£@##
#@£$%*-,¨¨ ¨¨,-*%$£@#