@§%==-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-==%§@
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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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