..:«^=%¤£#                                          #£¤%=^«:..
.:«^=%¤£##                                          ##£¤%=^«:.
..:«^=%¤£#                                          #£¤%=^«:..
...:«^=%¤£                                          £¤%=^«:...
....:«^=%¤                                          ¤%=^«:....
.....:«^=%             % 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. =^«:......
.......:«^                                          ^«:.......
......:«^=                                          =^«:......
.....:«^=%                                          %=^«:.....
....:«^=%¤                                          ¤%=^«:....
...:«^=%¤£                                          £¤%=^«:...
..:«^=%¤£#                                          #£¤%=^«:..