#@@@$%;~., ,.~;%$@@@#
##@@$%;~., ,.~;%$@@##
#@@@$%;~., ,.~;%$@@@#
##@@@$%~., ,.~%$@@@##
@$$%%%;~., ,.~;%%%$$@
#@@@$%;~., ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ,.~;%$@@@#
#@@@$%;~., ,.~;%$@@@#
#@@@$%;~., MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ,.~;%$@@@#
@$$;;.,,,, ,,,,.;;$$@
@@$;;;~,,, ; ; ; ; ,,,~;;;$@@
#@@@$%;~., ,.~;%$@@@#
#@@@$%;~., IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ,.~;%$@@@#
##@@@$;~., SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ,.~;$@@@##
#@@@$%;~., A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ,.~;%$@@@#
##@@$%;~., SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ,.~;%$@@##
#@@@$%;~., POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ,.~;%$@@@#
@@$%%~~,,, THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ,,,~~%%$@@
#@@@$%;~., BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ,.~;%$@@@#
@@%%%%;~., 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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