¨¨¨¨¨¨~-*† †*-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-* *-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨