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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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§^«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^«^§
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