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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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