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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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