¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«: :«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« «:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« 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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¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« «:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨