¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«
=«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«=
$=«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«=$
*$=«-¨¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨¨¨-«=$*
£*$=«-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-«=$*£
@£*$=«-¨¨¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨¨¨-«=$*£@
#@£*$=«-¨¨ ¨¨-«=$*£@#
##@£*$=«-¨ = = = = ¨-«=$*£@##
#@£*$=«-¨¨ ¨¨-«=$*£@#
@£*$=«-¨¨¨ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¨¨¨-«=$*£@
£*$=«-¨¨¨¨ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ¨¨¨¨-«=$*£
*$=«-¨¨¨¨¨ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ¨¨¨¨¨-«=$*
$=«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«=$
=«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«=
$=«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ SAID - ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«=$
*$=«-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-«=$*
£*$=«-¨¨¨¨ = = = = ¨¨¨¨-«=$*£
@£*$=«-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-«=$*£@
#@£*$=«-¨¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨¨-«=$*£@#
##@£*$=«-¨ ¨-«=$*£@##
#@£*$=«-¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨-«=$*£@#
@£*$=«-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-«=$*£@
£*$=«-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-«=$*£
*$=«-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-«=$*
$=«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«=$
=«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«=