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