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