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#$†~~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~~†$#
###£$†=~,¨          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          ¨,~=†$£###
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#@#£$†=~,¨                =  =  =  =                ¨,~=†$£#@#
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#$$†==~¨¨¨ IN  THIS  DREAM I  WAS  A GIRL  OF MAYBE ¨¨¨~==†$$#
£££$$†=~,¨ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH  MY  DAD IN ¨,~=†$$£££
£$††=~,¨¨¨ A  HUGE  BATH  HOUSE  /  SPA  / HOTEL  / ¨¨¨,~=††$£
#@#£$†=~,¨ SHOPPING CENTRE.       DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¨,~=†$£#@#
#@#£$†=~,¨ POINTING  OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU  SEE ¨,~=†$£#@#
£$=,,,,¨¨¨   THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING   ¨¨¨,,,,=$£
#@#£$†=~,¨ BEHIND  THE  CLOTHES  RACK?  OOF!"  HE'D ¨,~=†$£#@#
#£$$†=,¨¨¨ SAY.  HE  WAS ALWAYS VERY  CREEPY  ABOUT ¨¨¨,=†$$£#
#£$=~,,¨¨¨ THIS,   GOING   FOR   GIRLS   MY    AGE. ¨¨¨,,~=$£#
###£$†=~,¨                                          ¨,~=†$£###
@£$†==~¨¨¨ THIS NIGHT  HE HAD JUST  TRIED TO WOO  A ¨¨¨~==†$£@
#@#£$†=~,¨ GIRL HE CALLED  A "MOUSE" BY  BUYING HER ¨,~=†$£#@#
#£†~,¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨,~~=††£
#@#£$†=~,¨ THE  WINDOWS   OF  THE  HIGHER   FLOORS. ¨,~=†$£#@#
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@@#£$†=~,¨ SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¨,~=†$£#@@
#@#£$†=~,¨ DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ¨,~=†$£#@#
@@#£$†=~,¨ CLOSER. SHE  LAUGHED AT  ME  AGAIN,  AND ¨,~=†$£#@@
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