¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨§§§¨§§¨§¨
¨§§¨¨§¨¨§¨ §§¨¨§§¨§§§
§§¨§¨§§¨§§ ¨¨§¨§¨§§¨¨
§¨§§§§¨§§¨ §¨§§§§§¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨§§¨§ §§§¨¨¨¨§§§
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§ ======================================== ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨§§§¨ ¨¨¨§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§ 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) ¨¨§¨§¨¨§§§
§§§§¨§§§¨§ ¨¨§§§§¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨§§¨¨§§ ======================================== §¨§¨¨¨§§§¨
§§¨¨§¨§¨§¨ ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨§
¨¨§¨§§§§§§ §§¨¨§¨§§¨§
§¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨ §¨§¨§§§¨§§
¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨ §§§§§¨¨§§¨
¨§¨§¨§§¨¨¨ §¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§