¨§§§§¨§§¨§ ¨§¨§¨§§¨§§
§§¨¨¨§§¨§§ §§§§§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§
¨§§§¨§§§¨§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§
§§¨¨§§¨¨§§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨§§§§§§§§§ §¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨§§¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨§ ¨§¨§§§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §§§§¨¨§§¨§
§¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨ ¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§§
¨§¨¨¨§¨§§§ ¨¨¨¨§§§§§¨
¨§§¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
§§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨§
¨¨§§§§§¨§§ ¨¨¨¨§¨§¨¨§