@@##¤^^=.¨ ¨.=^^¤##@@
##@#¤^^=.¨ ¨.=^^¤#@##
@@¤¤^^^=.¨ ¨.=^^^¤¤@@
####¤^^=.¨ ¨.=^^¤####
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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) ¨¨¨¨.^^^¤#
###@#^^=.¨ ¨.=^^#@###
##@#¤^^=.¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨.=^^¤#@##
@@##¤^^=.¨ ¨.=^^¤##@@
#^=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=^#
###@¤^^=.¨ ¨.=^^¤@###
##@#¤^^=.¨ ¨.=^^¤#@##
##@#¤^^=.¨ ¨.=^^¤#@##