@§§†==¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨==†§§@
##¶@§†\=:¨                                          ¨:=\†§@¶##
¶@§\==::¨¨                                          ¨¨::==\§@¶
#¶§\\:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:\\§¶#
##¶@§†\=:¨                                          ¨:=\†§@¶##
#@@§§†\=:¨             § 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. ¨¨¨¨¨=\§¶¶
@@@†=¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨=†@@@
@§§\=::¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨::=\§§@
###@§†\=:¨                                          ¨:=\†§@###
¶@@§§†\=:¨                                          ¨:=\†§§@@¶
¶@@@§†\=:¨                                          ¨:=\†§@@@¶
@†=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=†@