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¨¨~«^%$@£@                                          @£@$%^«~¨¨
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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) $%^«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«^%$@                                          @$%^«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«^%$@£ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ £@$%^«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«^%$@£@                                          @£@$%^«~¨¨
¨~«^%$@£@#                                          #@£@$%^«~¨
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¨¨¨¨~«^%$@                                          @$%^«~¨¨¨¨