§¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨ ¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨¨§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§§§¨ §¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§ §§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§ §§§¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §¨§§¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨ 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) ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§§§¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§§ §§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§ ¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨ ¨§§§¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨