¤¤;~~~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~~~;¤¤
#@¤¤$~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~$¤¤@#
#@¤;-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-;¤@#
#@@¤¤$;~-¨ ¨-~;$¤¤@@#
@¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤@
¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤
¤¤¤¤¤$;~-¨ ¨-~;$¤¤¤¤¤
#@¤$$;;~-¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨-~;;$$¤@#
¤¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤¤
##@¤¤$;~-¨ ; ; ; ; ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ¨-~;$¤¤@##
¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤
##@¤¤$;~-¨ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ¨-~;$¤¤@##
¤$;;-¨¨¨¨¨ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ¨¨¨¨¨-;;$¤
¤$;~¨¨¨¨¨¨ BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ¨¨¨¨¨¨~;$¤
@¤¤¤¤$;~-¨ SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT ¨-~;$¤¤¤¤@
#¤¤$~---¨¨ THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ¨¨---~$¤¤#
#¤¤¤;~~~-¨ ¨-~~~;¤¤¤#
##@¤¤$;~-¨ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ¨-~;$¤¤@##
@@¤$$~~~-¨ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER ¨-~~~$$¤@@
¤$;;~~¨¨¨¨ SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY ¨¨¨¨~~;;$¤
@@¤$~--¨¨¨ TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD ¨¨¨--~$¤@@
@¤¤$$$;~-¨ WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT ¨-~;$$$¤¤@
##@¤¤$;~-¨ QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. ¨-~;$¤¤@##
#¤$~-¨¨¨¨¨ WALLS, FLOORS AND PILLARS WERE SET IN ¨¨¨¨¨-~$¤#
#¤¤¤¤$;~-¨ GREEN MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE RAN ¨-~;$¤¤¤¤#
##@¤¤$;~-¨ A MAIN BOULEVARD, WIDE AS A STREET, ¨-~;$¤¤@##
¤¤$~-¨¨¨¨¨ FRAMED WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS OBSIDIAN ¨¨¨¨¨-~$¤¤
¤¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND TALLER THAN A PERSON. IN EACH VASE ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤¤
¤$~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ WAS PLACED UPRIGHT A LEAF FROM A PALM ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~$¤
¤¤¤$$$;~-¨ TREE OR GIANT FERN. THE BOULEVARD WAS ¨-~;$$$¤¤¤
##@¤¤$;~-¨ DIMLY LIT, WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT ¨-~;$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$;~-¨ WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT ¨-~;$¤¤@##
#@¤;;;-¨¨¨ 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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