¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^^ ^^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^^$ $^^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^^$£ £$^^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^^$£@ @£$^^«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^^$£@# #@£$^^«,¨¨
¨,«^^$£@## ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ##@£$^^«,¨
¨¨,«^^$£@# #@£$^^«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«^^$£@ 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) £$^^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^^$ $^^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^ ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^^ ^^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^^$ $^^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^^$£ £$^^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^^$£@ @£$^^«,¨¨¨