.....^~:%%                                          %%:~^.....
....^~:%%&                                          &%%:~^....
...^~:%%&@                                          @&%%:~^...
..^~:%%&@#                                          #@&%%:~^..
.^~:%%&@##                                          ##@&%%:~^.
..^~:%%&@#             % 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. :~^.......
......^~:%                                          %:~^......
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....^~:%%&                                          &%%:~^....
...^~:%%&@                                          @&%%:~^...
..^~:%%&@#                                          #@&%%:~^..
.^~:%%&@##                                          ##@&%%:~^.