...§§§.§.§                                          §§§§...§..
..§..§§§§.                                          ...§..§§..
.§§.§...§.                                          ..§§.§.§..
§.§§§..§§§                                          .§.§§§§§..
§§..§.§...                                          §§§....§.§
.§.§§§§... †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ..§...§§§.
§§§...§...                                          .§§..§..§.
..§..§§..§          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) ...§§§§§..
.§§§§.§..§                                          ..§....§..
§...§§§.§§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† .§§...§§..
§..§..§§..                                          §.§..§.§.§
§.§§.§.§..                                          §§§.§§§§§.
§§.§§§§§..                                          ..§§....§§
.§§....§.§                                          .§.§...§..
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