#@@£%=~~.. ..~~=%£@@#
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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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@@£%=~~... ...~~=%£@@