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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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