..,«%%£#@#                                          #@#£%%«,..
...,«%%£#@                                          @#£%%«,...
....,«%%£#                                          #£%%«,....
...,«%%£#@                                          @#£%%«,...
..,«%%£#@#                                          #@#£%%«,..
.,«%%£#@## ======================================== ##@#£%%«,.
..,«%%£#@#                                          #@#£%%«,..
...,«%%£#@          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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