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¨~=†=****£          MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES          £****=†=~¨
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¨~=††††=*£ 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.        ##@£*=†=~¨
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¨~=†=*£@## 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.          ##@£*=†=~¨
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¨~=†==*£@@                †  †  †  †                @@£*==†=~¨
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¨¨¨¨¨¨==££ 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. ##@£*=†=~¨
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¨¨¨~††==*@ 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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