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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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