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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. ¨¨¨-«†*@##
###@*†«-¨¨ ¨¨-«†*@###
####@*†«-¨ 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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