#¶§%%^»,¨¨ ¨¨,»^%%§¶#
¶§%%^»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»^%%§¶
§%%^»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»^%%§
%%^»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»^%%
%^»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»^%
^»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»^
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨,»^%%§¶#
¶§%%^»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»^%%§¶
§%%^»,¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨,»^%%§
%%^»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»^%%
%^»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»^%
^»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»^
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,