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~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
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££*=~.¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨.~=*££##
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##££*=~.¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨.~=*££#
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#££*=~.¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨.~=*££##
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££*=~.¨¨¨¨ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¨¨¨¨.~=*££
£*=~.¨¨¨¨¨ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ¨¨¨¨¨.~=*£
*=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~=*
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£*=~.¨¨¨¨¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨¨¨¨¨.~=*£
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