,,,,,,,,#,                                          ,,##,###,,
,,,,,,,,,#                                          ,,##,#,##,
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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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