###&*%=«.¨ ¨.«=%*&###
###&*%=«.¨ ¨.«=%*&###
###&*%=«.¨ ¨.«=%*&###
&%%«.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.«%%&
##**===«.¨ ¨.«===**##
###&*%=«.¨ ======================================== ¨.«=%*&###
#&%%==«.¨¨ ¨¨.«==%%&#
##&%=«««.¨ 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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