«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
§\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\§
£§\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\§£
¤£§\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\§£¤
#¤£§\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\§£¤#