&¨&&&¨&&¨¨ &¨&¨&&¨¨&&
¨&&¨¨&&¨&¨ &&&&&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨&¨&¨&&& &¨¨¨¨&&&&&
&&&&&&&&¨¨ ¨&¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨
&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨ &&&¨¨&&¨¨¨
&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨&¨&¨&¨¨
&¨&¨¨¨¨¨&¨ &¨¨&&&&&&¨
&&&&¨¨¨¨&& 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) ¨¨¨¨&¨¨&&&
¨&¨&&¨&¨¨¨ &¨¨¨&&¨&¨¨
¨&&&¨&&&¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨&¨¨&¨&&&¨
¨&¨¨&&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨&&&¨¨&
&&&¨&¨&¨&& &&¨&&¨¨&¨&
¨¨¨&&&&&&¨ ¨¨&&¨&¨&&&
&¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨& &¨&¨&&&&¨¨
&&¨&&¨¨¨¨& &&&&&¨¨¨&¨