§§§§§§..§.                                          §§..§..§.§
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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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