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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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