¨§¨¨§¨§§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨¨§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨§¨§§                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨          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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨§¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨¨§                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨