¶@$*/~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~/*$@¶
@¶@$*/~:¨¨ ¨¨:~/*$@¶@
#@¶@$*/~:¨ ¨:~/*$@¶@#
@¶@$*/~:¨¨ ¨¨:~/*$@¶@
¶@$*/~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~/*$@¶
@$*/~:¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨:~/*$@
$*/~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~/*$
*/~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~/
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
/~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~/
*/~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~/*