¨¨¨¨:«^$$¤ ¤$$^«:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:«^$$¤@ @¤$$^«:¨¨¨
¨¨:«^$$¤@# #@¤$$^«:¨¨
¨:«^$$¤@## ##@¤$$^«:¨
¨¨:«^$$¤@# #@¤$$^«:¨¨
¨¨¨:«^$$¤@ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @¤$$^«:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:«^$$¤ ¤$$^«:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:«^$$ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES $$^«:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^$ $^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« «:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT «:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^ THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^$ $^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:«^$$ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A $$^«:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:«^$$¤ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER ¤$$^«:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:«^$$¤@ SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY @¤$$^«:¨¨¨
¨¨:«^$$¤@# TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD #@¤$$^«:¨¨
¨:«^$$¤@## WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT ##@¤$$^«:¨
¨¨:«^$$¤@# QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND #@¤$$^«:¨¨
¨¨¨:«^$$¤@ WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. @¤$$^«:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:«^$$¤ ¤$$^«:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:«^$$ THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. $$^«:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^$ 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 $^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« SAID - «:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« «:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^ ^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^$ $^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:«^$$ $$^«:¨¨¨¨¨