&¨&&¨&¨¨&¨ &&&&¨¨¨&&¨
&&&¨&&&¨&& ¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨&
¨¨¨&&¨¨&&¨ ¨¨¨¨&&¨&&&
&¨¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨
&&¨&&&&&&& ¨¨¨¨&&&¨&¨
&¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨&¨¨&&&
¨&&¨&¨¨¨¨¨ &¨¨¨&&¨&¨¨
¨&¨&&&¨¨¨¨ 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) &¨&&¨¨¨&¨&
¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨& &&&¨&¨¨&&&
&¨¨¨¨&&&&& //////////////////////////////////////// &¨¨&&&¨&¨¨
&&¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨¨&&&¨
&¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨ ¨&&&&¨&¨¨&
¨&&&¨&¨&¨¨ &&¨¨¨&&&¨&
&&¨¨&&&&&¨ &¨&¨¨&¨¨&&
¨¨&¨&¨¨¨¨& ¨&&&¨&&¨&¨