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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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