#,,,,#,,##                                          ,,,,#,,#,,
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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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