.@.@@@...@                                          @......@.@
...@.@@..@                                          .@........
.....@@@..                                          ..@.......
.....@.@@.                                          ...@......
.......@@@                                          ....@.....
.......@.@ i  fall  asleep in  the wrong throat and .....@....
.........@ is not  so much dreaming as being forced ......@...
.........@         to imagine a scenario...         @......@..
..........                                          .@......@.
..........           .^~;^§@######@§^;~^.           ..@......@
@......... ........^^^^^^~~;^§@@§^;~~^^^^^^........ @..@......
.@........ ^^^^^~~~~~;;;^^§§§@##@§§§^^;;;~~~~~^^^^^ @@..@.....
..@....... ........^^^^^^~~;^§@@§^;~~^^^^^^........ .@@..@....
...@......           .^~;^§@######@§^;~^.           .@@@..@...
....@.....                                          .@.@@..@..
.....@....            big halls, arcades,           ...@@@..@.
......@...         filled with characters.          ...@.@@..@
@......@..                                          .....@@@..
.@......@. i get  instructions for them, for what i .....@.@@.
..@......@ must imagine them doing or  saying. they .......@@@
@..@...... have  some  agency,  but  not while  i'm .......@.@
@@..@.....   looking. the instructions are beamed   @........@
.@@..@.... into  my  mind,  spoken  from a god,  or .@.......@
.@@@..@...              false demiurge.             ..@.......
.@.@@..@..                                          @..@......
...@@@..@. sometimes i'm too slow and fail  to make .@..@.....
...@.@@..@ them  do  what  i'm   instructed  before ..@..@....
.....@@@.. time's  out, and then they get punished. @..@..@...
.....@.@@.                                          @@..@..@..
.......@@@ one  of  them got his  vocabulary shrunk .@@..@..@.
.......@.@ down to only  the word he  failed to say .@@@..@..@
@........@      (roofs? rufus?), many were just     .@.@@..@..
.@.......@            physically maimed.            ...@@@..@.
..@.......                                          ...@.@@..@
@..@...... it    all   was   very   stressful   and @....@@@..
.@..@..... repulsive. it  felt like a nightmare, or @@...@.@@.
..@..@....               fever dream.               .@@....@@@
@..@..@...                                          .@@@...@.@
@@..@..@.. i   haven't   tried   to   sleep   since .@.@@....@
.@@..@..@.                                          ...@@@...@
.@@@..@..@                                          ...@.@@...
.@.@@..@..                                          @....@@@..
...@@@..@.                                          @@...@.@@.
...@.@@..@                                          .@@....@@@
@....@@@..                                          .@@@...@.@