¨¨¨&¨&&&&¨ ¨&&¨&&&&¨¨
¨¨&&&¨¨¨&& &¨&&¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨& &&¨&¨¨&&¨¨
&&¨&&¨&&&& ¨&&&¨&¨&¨¨
¨&&¨&&¨¨¨¨ &¨¨&&&&&¨&
&¨&&¨&¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &¨&¨¨¨¨&&&
&&¨&&&¨¨¨& &&&¨¨¨&¨¨¨
¨&&¨¨&¨¨&¨ 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) &¨¨¨¨&&&&&
&&&&&¨&&&¨ &¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&
¨¨¨¨&&¨¨&& ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨
¨¨¨&¨&¨&¨& &¨&¨&¨¨&&¨
¨¨&&&&&&&& &&&&&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨& ¨¨¨¨&&&&&¨
&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨¨&&¨¨¨&&&