¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«: :«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:= =:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«:=£ £=:«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:=£# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #£=:«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«:=£#¶ ¶#£=:«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«:=£#¶@ 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) #@¶#£=:«,¨
¨¨,«:=£#¶@ @¶#£=:«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«:=£#¶ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¶#£=:«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:=£# #£=:«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«:=£ £=:«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:= =:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«: :«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨