¶$:.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.:$¶
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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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