.:«^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^«:.
.:«^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^«:.
.:«^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^«:.
.....«%¤££                                          ££¤%«.....
.:«^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^«:.
......«^%¤ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¤%^«......
...:^^%¤¤£                                          £¤¤%^^:...
.::««««%¤¤          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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...::«%¤£#                                          #£¤%«::...
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.:«^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^«:.
.:«^%¤¤###                                          ###¤¤%^«:.
.:«^^^%¤¤£                                          £¤¤%^^^«:.