¨¨¨¨¨¨^=%@ @%=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$$$@@ @@$$$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@### ###@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$$$¶¶ ¶¶$$$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@### $ DREAM PALACE $ ###@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^\$¶# ^ ----- ------ ^ #¶$\^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨^==%%@@@ $ ..... ...... $ @@@%%==^¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## \ ..... ...... \ ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ^ ..... ...... ^ ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨^^=%%@ ^ ..... ...... ^ @%%=^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨^===\%@@ ¨ ..... ...... ¨ @@%\===^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=%@ @%=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶¶¶ NOT ACTUALLY A PALACE. A COTTAGE IN THE ¶¶¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=%$@¶### WOODS (TEMPERATE CLIMATE, RAINS EVERY ###¶@$%=^¨
¨^=\%%$$@# OTHER DAY, SPRINGS AND STREAMS AND #@$$%%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨^^=%$@ MYSTERIOUS IRON AND STONE ARTIFACTS, @$%=^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^\\$@@@ BIRDLAND-ISH ETERNAL SPRING (LATE @@@$\\^¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## SPRING)) ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## = ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=\$¶ I WAKE UP EVERY MORNING AT SIX AM. IT'S ¶$\=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## DARK, AND THE STARS ARE OUT, BUT THE ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## SUN IS ABOUT TO RISE. ITS A LONG DAY, ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨^^=\%@# BEFORE IT FADES TO NIGHT AGAIN, AND #@%\=^^¨¨¨
¨^=\$@¶### THEN IT STAYS SO UNTIL I FALL ASLEEP. ###¶@$\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## IT DOESN'T RISE UNLESS I'VE HAD MY ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨^^\\%@# DREAMS. #@%\\^^¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶¶¶ ¶¶¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@@¶# % #¶@@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨=%%@¶ ¶@%%=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=%@¶ IN THIS COTTAGE THERE'S A LOT OF RADIO ¶@%=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$¶### EQUIPMENT, SOUND STUFF, SYNTHS, TAPE ###¶$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=%$¶ PLAYERS. PEN AND PAPER, BOOKS, CAMERAS, ¶$%=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^\\%@ MIRRORS, PRISMS, AND VARIOUS THINGS TO @%\\^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨==%$@¶ DO ART WITH. THE FRIDGE IS FILLED WITH ¶@$%==¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨=%%@¶¶ DIFFERET FOODS, ALL OF THEM INTRIGUING, ¶¶@%%=¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^=\%%%@ SLIGHTLY WEIRD. @%%%\=^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^\$@¶# #¶@$\^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^\$¶# @ #¶$\^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## I HAVE FRIENDS - THERE'S A CAT, AND A ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## DOG (WHO IS RIDICOLOUSLY LARGE AND ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨^^=%$@@# WANTS TO BE THE BIG SPOON). I LISTEN TO #@@$%=^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=%@# THE SHORTWAVE RADIO, AND TRANSMIT A BIT #@%=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## MYSELF, SONGS AND POETRY, AND FOUND ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## SOUNDS FROM THE FOREST. THE OTHERS TELL ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$¶### OF THEIR LIVES, PLAY THE GUITAR FOR ME, ###¶$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$¶### AND TELL TALES OF THE OLD WORLD. I ###¶$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## CONSIDER THEM FRIENDS AS WELL. ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^==\%$$¶¶ ¶ ¶¶$$%\==^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨=%%$@¶ MOST IMPORTANTLY, THERE'S A TWO SQUARE ¶@$%%=¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^\$@¶¶ METER AREA ON THE FLOOR WHERE I CAN ¶¶@$\^^¨¨¨
¨^=\\\\%%@ "SAVE" THINGS. WHATEVER I PUT IN HERE @%%\\\\=^¨
¨^=\\\\%%@ WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE NIGHTLY @%%\\\\=^¨
¨^=\%$@@¶# RESET. EVERYTHING ELSE, HOWEVER, IS #¶@@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## COMPLETELY RESET OVERNIGHT: SYNTH ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@### PATCHES REMOVED, FOOD UNEATEN, WOUNDS ###@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## HEALED, AND WHEREVER AND WHENEVER I'D ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## FALL ASLEEP I'D ALWAYS WAKE UP FULLY ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## RESTED IN MY BED. SOMETIMES THERE'S ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^\%@ ACCIDENTS WHERE I LOSE STUFF BY @%\^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## FORGETTING TO PUT THEM IN THE SQUARE. ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨^^=\$@@@ @@@$\=^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=%@@ ¨ @@%=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨=\\%@# #@%\\=¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## AT NIGHT, I HAVE DEMI-LUCID DREAMS ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## WHERE THE SPIRITS OF THE FOREST AROUND ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## THE COTTAGE TRIES TO COMMUNICATE. HERE, ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## IT'S NOT ENDLESS BUT CONNECTED TO A ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨^^\\%$$¶ LARGE SPRAWLING CITY, WHERE MY RADIO ¶$$%\\^^¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## FRIENDS LIVE. WE GO EXPLORING TOGETHER ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^\$@@ - THINGS ARE DEEP AND DARK - BUT UNLIKE @@$\^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ME, THEY NEVER REMEMBER DURING THE DAY. ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨^\\\%%@ THIS IS A MYSTERY WE OFTEN DISCUSS. @%%\\\^¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨=\\%%@ @%%\\=¨¨¨¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨^=\$@¶### ###¶@$\=^¨
¨^=\%$@¶## ##¶@$%\=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=\$¶ ¶$\=¨¨¨¨¨¨