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¨^~/=£## 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. £###&=/~^¨
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¨^~/=£## 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. ££&=/^^¨¨¨
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¨^~/=£## ##£#&=/~^¨
¨^~/=&£# 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 ##£#&=/~^¨
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¨^~/=£## (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ##£#&=/~^¨
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