¨¨¨¨@@@@@@ ¨@¨¨¨¨@@¨¨
¨¨¨@¨¨¨¨¨¨ @@¨¨¨@¨@¨¨
¨¨@@¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨@¨¨@@@@¨¨
¨@¨@¨¨¨¨¨@ @@¨@¨¨¨@¨¨
@@@@¨¨¨¨@@ ¨@@@¨¨@@¨¨
¨¨¨@¨¨¨@¨@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @¨¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨¨@@¨¨@@@@ @¨@@@@@@@@
¨@¨@¨@¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨@¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
@¨¨¨@@¨@@¨ @@¨¨¨¨¨¨¨@
@¨¨@¨@@¨@¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨@¨¨¨¨¨¨@¨
@¨@@@¨@@@@ @@¨¨¨¨¨@@@
@@¨¨@@¨¨¨¨ ¨@¨¨¨¨@¨¨¨
¨@¨@¨@¨¨¨¨ @@¨¨¨@@¨¨@
@@@@@@¨¨¨@ ¨@¨¨@¨@¨@@
¨¨¨¨¨@¨¨@¨ @@¨@@@@@¨¨