§§%§§==-.¨ ¨.-==§§%§§
#§%§=.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.=§%§#
###§%§=-.¨ ¨.-=§%§###
###§%§=-.¨ ¨.-=§%§###
####§%=-.¨ ¨.-=%§####
§§§=-....¨ ======================================== ¨....-=§§§
###§%§=-.¨ ¨.-=§%§###
###§%§=-.¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨.-=%§§
#§§%%§=-.¨ ¨.-=§%%§§#
###§%§=-.¨ ======================================== ¨.-=§%§###
###§%§=-.¨ ¨.-=§%§###
§§=.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.=§§
#§§-..¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨..-§§#
###§%§=-.¨ ¨.-=§%§###
#§%§-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-§%§#