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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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¨§§§¨¨§§¨¨ §¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§