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~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
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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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
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