»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
;»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»;
=;»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»;=
$=;»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»;=$
#$=;»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»;=$#
@#$=;»,¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨,»;=$#@
#@#$=;»,¨¨ ¨¨,»;=$#@#
##@#$=;»,¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨,»;=$#@##
#@#$=;»,¨¨ ¨¨,»;=$#@#
@#$=;»,¨¨¨ ; ; ; ; ¨¨¨,»;=$#@
#$=;»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»;=$#
$=;»,¨¨¨¨¨ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¨¨¨¨¨,»;=$
=;»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»;=
$=;»,¨¨¨¨¨ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ¨¨¨¨¨,»;=$
#$=;»,¨¨¨¨ SAID - ¨¨¨¨,»;=$#
@#$=;»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»;=$#@
#@#$=;»,¨¨ ; ; ; ; ¨¨,»;=$#@#
##@#$=;»,¨ ¨,»;=$#@##
#@#$=;»,¨¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨¨,»;=$#@#
@#$=;»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»;=$#@
#$=;»,¨¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨¨,»;=$#
$=;»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»;=$
=;»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»;=
;»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»;
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,