¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:$ $:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:$$ $$:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:$$@ @$$:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~:$$@# #@$$:~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~:$$@## ##@$$:~.¨¨
¨.~:$$@### :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ###@$$:~.¨
¨¨.~:$$@## ##@$$:~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~:$$@# MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES #@$$:~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:$$@ @$$:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:$$ : : : : $$:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:$ $:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~: IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~: WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:$ 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 $:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:$$ STAY THERE, AND RAN TO GET HER A BETTER $$:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:$$@ PAIR OF SHOES THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY @$$:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~:$$@# LIKE. WHEN I RETURNED, HAVING SPENT #@$$:~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~:$$@## MORE THAN I COULD REALLY AFFORD, SHE ##@$$:~.¨¨
¨.~:$$@### WAS VISIBLY IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND ###@$$:~.¨
¨¨.~:$$@## COOL, SAYING SOMETHING LIKE "WHAT DO ##@$$:~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~:$$@# YOU THINK, JUST BECAUSE A GIRL HAS A #@$$:~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:$$@ FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" @$$:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:$$ BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. $$:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:$ $:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~: SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ SAID - ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~: :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:$ : : : : $:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:$$ $$:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:$$@ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) @$$:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~:$$@# #@$$:~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~:$$@## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##@$$:~.¨¨
¨.~:$$@### ###@$$:~.¨
¨¨.~:$$@## ##@$$:~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~:$$@# #@$$:~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:$$@ @$$:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:$$ $$:~.¨¨¨¨¨