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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 - ¨¨¨¨¨,»:*£
&£*:»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»:*£&
¶&£*:»,¨¨¨ : : : : ¨¨¨,»:*£&¶
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##¶&£*:»,¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨,»:*£&¶##
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