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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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