##¤*«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«*¤##
##@#¤**«,¨ ¨,«**¤#@##
@@##¤**«,¨ ¨,«**¤##@@
##@#¤**«,¨ ¨,«**¤#@##
##@#¤**«,¨ ¨,«**¤#@##
##@#¤**«,¨ **************************************** ¨,«**¤#@##
##@#¤**«,¨ ¨,«**¤#@##
####¤**«,¨ 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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