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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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##¶£%$==,¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨,==$%£¶##
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