....~=*£§#                                          #§£*=~....
.....~=*£§                                          §£*=~.....
......~=*£                                          £*=~......
.......~=*                                          *=~.......
........~=                                          =~........
.........~ ======================================== ~.........
..........                                          ..........
..........          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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