¶#%=:~^... ...^~:=%#¶
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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. ......^~:=
:~^....... .......^~:
~^........ 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 - .......^~:
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^......... : : : : .........^
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.......... (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ..........
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