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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 ,,,,†§§§§#
##¶§$§†~,, EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE ,,~†§$§¶##
¶§$†~~,,,, PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE. ,,,,~~†$§¶
§§$$§†~~,, ,,~~†§$$§§
¶¶$$$§†~,, † † † † ,,~†§$$$¶¶
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##¶§$§†~,, FOLLOWING THE BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS UP ,,~†§$§¶##
#¶¶§$§†~,, I FOUND HER CRYING BEHIND TWO FERN ,,~†§$§¶¶#
#¶§$†~,,,, VASES. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND AS I ,,,,~†$§¶#
§$$§§§†~,, APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. ,,~†§§§$$§
§§$$§††~,, IN THE NEAREST VASE SHE HAD STUFFED ,,~††§$$§§
##¶§$§†~,, BOTH THE SHOES. ,,~†§$§¶##
¶§§§†~,,,, ,,,,~†§§§¶
#¶¶§$§†~,, I TOLD HER TO FOLLOW, BUT SHE DIDN'T ,,~†§$§¶¶#
§§§§†~,,,, 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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