~~........ ........~~
\~~....... .......~~\
^\~~...... ......~~\^
$^\~~..... .....~~\^$
#$^\~~.... ....~~\^$#
@#$^\~~... $ 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. ........~~
~......... .........~
~~........ ........~~
\~~....... .......~~\
^\~~...... ......~~\^
$^\~~..... .....~~\^$
#$^\~~.... ....~~\^$#