#@£*%\~^¨¨ ¨¨^~\%*£@#
##@£*%\~^¨ ¨^~\%*£@##
#@£*%\~^¨¨ ¨¨^~\%*£@#
@£*%\~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~\%*£@
£*%\~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~\%*£
*%\~^¨¨¨¨¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨¨¨¨¨^~\%*
%\~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~\%
*%\~^¨¨¨¨¨ 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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