§:»~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~»:§
&§:»~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~»:§&
¤&§:»~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~»:§&¤
#¤&§:»~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~»:§&¤#
@#¤&§:»~¨¨ ¨¨~»:§&¤#@
#@#¤&§:»~¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨~»:§&¤#@#
##@#¤&§:»~ ~»:§&¤#@##
#@#¤&§:»~¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»
:»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»: