.^-*$¤£###                                          ###£¤$*-^.
.^-*$¤£###                                          ###£¤$*-^.
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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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.^-*$¤£###                                          ###£¤$*-^.
.^-*$¤####                                          ####¤$*-^.