####$**~:, ,:~**$####
###$**~:,, ,,:~**$###
##$**~:,,, ,,,:~**$##
#$**~:,,,, ,,,,:~**$#
$**~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~**$
**~:,,,,,, **************************************** ,,,,,,:~**
$**~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~**$
#$**~:,,,, MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ,,,,:~**$#
##$**~:,,, ,,,:~**$##
###$**~:,, * * * * ,,:~**$###
####$**~:, ,:~**$####
###$**~:,, IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ,,:~**$###
##$**~:,,, SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ,,,:~**$##
#$**~:,,,, A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ,,,,:~**$#
$**~:,,,,, SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ,,,,,:~**$
**~:,,,,,, 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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