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####$^:«^, :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ,^«:^$####
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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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#$$$$^:«^, ,^«:^$$$$#