¨¨¨¨,=†=*§ §*=†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=†=*§# #§*=†=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=†=*§## ##§*=†=,¨¨
¨,=†=*§### ###§*=†=,¨
¨¨,=†=*§## ##§*=†=,¨¨
¨¨¨,=†=*§# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #§*=†=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=†=*§ §*=†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=†=* 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) §*=†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=†=*§# #§*=†=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=†=*§## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##§*=†=,¨¨
¨,=†=*§### ###§*=†=,¨
¨¨,=†=*§## ##§*=†=,¨¨
¨¨¨,=†=*§# #§*=†=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=†=*§ §*=†=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=†=* *=†=,¨¨¨¨¨