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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. ¨^==†£¤###
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¤††==¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨^==†£¤###
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#¤†=====^¨ 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. ¨^===†££¤¤
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###¤£†==^¨ 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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