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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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§%%†~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~†%%§
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%†~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~†%