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¨¨§§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
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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) §¨¨§¨§¨¨§§
¨¨§¨§§§¨¨§ §¨§§§§¨§¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨§§ ======================================== §§¨¨¨§§§§§
§¨¨§¨§§§¨¨ ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
§¨§§§¨¨§¨¨ §§¨§§¨¨¨§¨
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨§§¨§¨¨§§§
¨§¨§§§¨§¨§ §¨§§§¨§¨¨¨
§§§¨¨§§§§§ §§¨¨§§§¨¨¨