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§§¨§¨§¨§§¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨
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§§¨§¨§¨§§¨ \ \ \ \ ¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§§¨ 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. ¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨
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¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ 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 - ¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨
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§§¨§¨§¨§§¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨
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