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£$^^«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«^^$£
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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 ¨,«^*£####
###£$*^«,¨ TREE OR  GIANT FERN.  THE BOULEVARD  WAS ¨,«^*$£###
###£$*^«,¨ DIMLY LIT, WHICH  ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT ¨,«^*$£###
£$**««¨¨¨¨   WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT   ¨¨¨¨««**$£
###£$*^«,¨   EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE    ¨,«^*$£###
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###£$*^«,¨                ^  ^  ^  ^                ¨,«^*$£###
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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 ¨¨¨¨,«^^*£
###£$*^«,¨ YOU THINK,  JUST BECAUSE  A GIRL  HAS  A ¨,«^*$£###
###£$*^«,¨ FREAKY  DAD, SHE  DOESN'T  HAVE  TASTE?" ¨,«^*$£###
###£$*^«,¨ BUT  MOUSE  GIRL  JUST  LAUGHED  AT  ME. ¨,«^*$£###
#£$^,,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,,^$£#
###£$*^«,¨ SHE  THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME ¨,«^*$£###
###£$*^«,¨ OUT  A   SIDE  ROUTE  TO   A  CLOSED-OFF ¨,«^*$£###
£££$^««¨¨¨ ROOFTOP  WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER ¨¨¨««^$£££
####£$*^«, AND  THUJA.  IT WAS A LATE  EVENING, AND ,«^*$£####
#££*^«¨¨¨¨     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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##$$^^««,¨ DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ¨,««^^$$##
###£$*^«,¨ CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED  AT  ME AGAIN, AND ¨,«^*$£###
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###£$*^«,¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨,«^*$£###
###£$*^«,¨                                          ¨,«^*$£###
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