##¶&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&¶##
¶&&&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&&&¶
¶¶%:,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,:%¶¶
##¶&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&¶##
##¶&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&¶##
##¶&%*:=,¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨,=:*%&¶##
##¶&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&¶##
&%%:,¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨,:*&
##¶&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&¶##
¶¶%:=¨¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨=:%¶¶
##¶&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&¶##
&&&%**:=,¨ ¨,=:**%&&&
¶%%%*:=,¨¨ ¨¨,=:*%%%¶
##¶&%*:=,¨ ¨,=:*%&¶##
&&%%:::=,¨ ¨,=:::%%&&