¨,«^=&£@##                                          ##@£&=^«,¨
¨¨¨,,^==£@                                          @£==^,,¨¨¨
¨,«^=&£@##                                          ##@£&=^«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨«^&££                                          ££&^«¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^=&£@##                                          ##@£&=^«,¨
¨¨¨,««^==£ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ £==^««,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^&£#                                          #£&^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^=&£@##          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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¨,«««==£@@                                          @@£==«««,¨
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¨,«^=&&&£#                                          #£&&&=^«,¨