¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨¨§¨§¨§§§§
§§§§§§§§¨¨ ¨§§§§§¨¨¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ §¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨ §¨¨¨§§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨ §¨¨§¨§§¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§§¨§§§ ======================================== §¨§§§¨§§§¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ §§¨¨§§¨¨§¨
¨¨§§§¨§¨¨¨ 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) §§¨§§¨¨§¨¨
¨§§¨¨§§¨§¨ ¨§§¨§¨§§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§§§¨ ======================================== §¨§§§§¨§§§
§§§§§§¨¨§¨ §§¨¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§§ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§ §§¨§§§§¨§§
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§ ¨§§¨¨¨§§¨§
¨¨§§¨§§§¨¨ §¨§¨¨§¨§§§