......«:*#                                          #*:«......
.,«:^*£###                                          ###£*^:«,.
.....««^*£                                          £*^««.....
.,«:^*£#@#                                          #@#£*^:«,.
.,«:^*£#@#                                          #@#£*^:«,.
.,«:^*£#@#             * 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. #@#£*^:«,.
....««:*£#                                          #£*:««....
.,«:^*£#@#                                          #@#£*^:«,.
.,«:^**£##                                          ##£**^:«,.
.....,:^£#                                          #£^:,.....
.,«:^*£@##                                          ##@£*^:«,.
.,«:^*£#@#                                          #@#£*^:«,.