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¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ 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) ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
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