¨:«†$£&@@#                                          #@@&£$†«:¨
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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 &&&$$$†«:¨
¨:«†$£&@## AND THUJA.  IT  WAS A LATE EVENING,  AND ##@&£$†«:¨
¨:«†$£&@##     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     ##@&£$†«:¨
¨:«†$£&@@# CLOSED,  THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED #@@&£$†«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««$& OFF,  BUT  WE  COULD STILL SEE  OUR  WAY &$««¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«†$£&@## AROUND  BY THE LIGHT  SHINING DOWN  FROM ##@&£$†«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:†$& THE   WINDOWS  OF  THE   HIGHER  FLOORS. &$†:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«†$£&###                                          ###&£$†«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨««$£@ SHE  LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT @£$««¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«†$£&@## DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ##@&£$†«:¨
¨:«†$£&&&& CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED AT ME  AGAIN,  AND &&&&£$†«:¨
¨:«†$£&@##                  SAID -                  ##@&£$†«:¨
¨:«†$£&@##                                          ##@&£$†«:¨
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¨:«†$£&@##                                          ##@&£$†«:¨
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¨¨¨¨¨:†£&@                                          @&£†:¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨::««†$&                                          &$†««::¨¨¨
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