....~-/†%£                                          £%†/-~....
.....~-/†%                                          %†/-~.....
......~-/†                                          †/-~......
.......~-/                                          /-~.......
........~-                                          -~........
.......~-/ //////////////////////////////////////// /-~.......
......~-/†                                          †/-~......
.....~-/†%          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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