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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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,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨