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.:«;^@£@##                                          ##@£@^;«:.
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.:«;^@£@##                                          ##@£@^;«:.
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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 -                  #£^;««....
.:«;^@£@##                                          ##@£@^;«:.
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