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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. ###£*%;-:.
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.:-;%*£### 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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