#@£§$%\-^¨                                          ¨^-\%$§£@#
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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 ¨^-\%%$$$£
@@£§$%\-^¨ closer.  she  laughed at  me again,  and ¨^-\%$§£@@
@§%-¨¨¨¨¨¨                  said -                  ¨¨¨¨¨¨-%§@
§$\^¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨^\$§
##£§$%\-^¨                \  \  \  \                ¨^-\%$§£##
§§$%-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-%$§§
§§$\\-^^^¨ (here i am awakened by the morning crew) ¨^^^-\\$§§
£§%--¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨--%§£
@@£§$%\-^¨ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ¨^-\%$§£@@
#@£§$%\-^¨                                          ¨^-\%$§£@#
#@£§$%\-^¨                                          ¨^-\%$§£@#
@@£§$%\-^¨                                          ¨^-\%$§£@@
§§$%\\-^¨¨                                          ¨¨^-\\%$§§
§$$$%%\-^¨                                          ¨^-\%%$$$§