£**;;~.... ....~;;**£
#@#£**;=~. .~=;**£#@#
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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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