¨¨¨¨&¨&&&¨ &&&¨¨&¨&¨¨
¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨ ¨¨&¨&&&&¨¨
¨¨&¨¨&¨&&& ¨&&&¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&&¨&&&¨¨& &¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨
&¨&&¨¨&¨&& &¨&&¨&¨&¨¨
&&¨&¨&&&¨& //////////////////////////////////////// &&¨&&&&&¨&
¨&&&&¨¨&&& ¨&&¨¨¨¨&&¨
&¨¨¨&¨&¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&&
&&¨¨&¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨
¨&¨&&¨¨&&¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨&
&&&¨&¨&¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨&¨&¨&&
¨¨&&&&&&&¨ ¨¨¨&&&&&¨¨
¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&& ¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨
&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨&&¨¨¨&&¨¨
¨&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ &¨&¨¨&¨&¨&