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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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¨^=*$£&¶## * * * * ##¶&£$*=^¨
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¨^=*$£&¶## (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ##¶&£$*=^¨
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