*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=*
$*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=*$
¤$*=:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:=*$¤
#¤$*=:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:=*$¤#
##¤$*=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=*$¤##
###¤$*=:¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨:=*$¤###
####¤$*=:¨ ¨:=*$¤####
###¤$*=:¨¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨¨:=*$¤###
##¤$*=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=*$¤##
#¤$*=:¨¨¨¨ * * * * ¨¨¨¨:=*$¤#
¤$*=:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:=*$¤
$*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=*$
*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=
*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=*
$*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=*$
¤$*=:¨¨¨¨¨ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ¨¨¨¨¨:=*$¤
#¤$*=:¨¨¨¨ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ¨¨¨¨:=*$¤#
##¤$*=:¨¨¨ SAID - ¨¨¨:=*$¤##
###¤$*=:¨¨ ¨¨:=*$¤###
####¤$*=:¨ * * * * ¨:=*$¤####
###¤$*=:¨¨ ¨¨:=*$¤###
##¤$*=:¨¨¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨¨¨:=*$¤##
#¤$*=:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:=*$¤#
¤$*=:¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨:=*$¤
$*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=*$
*=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=*
=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨