¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.=: :=.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.=:^ ^:=.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.=:^$ $^:=.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.=:^$£ £$^:=.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.=:^$£# #£$^:=.¨¨¨
¨¨.=:^$£## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##£$^:=.¨¨
¨.=:^$£### ###£$^:=.¨
¨¨.=:^$£## 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) #£$^:=.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.=:^$£ £$^:=.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.=:^$ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: $^:=.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.=:^ ^:=.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.=: :=.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.= =.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨