§¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨ §§§¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨ §¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ ======================================== §§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§ ¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ 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) ¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ §¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ ======================================== §§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ §§§¨¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨ §¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§