,,,,^==^¤¤                                          ¤¤^==^,,,,
,^«===$$##                                          ##$$===«^,
,,,,,«=$$¤                                          ¤$$=«,,,,,
,,,,^^«=$¤                                          ¤$=«^^,,,,
,,,,,«=^$¤                                          ¤$^=«,,,,,
,^«=^$¤###             $ 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. #¤^=«^,,,,
,^«=^$¤###                                          ###¤$^=«^,
,^«=^$¤###                                          ###¤$^=«^,
,^«««^$¤¤#                                          #¤¤$^«««^,
,,,,^«^^¤¤                                          ¤¤^^«^,,,,
,,^^«^^$##                                          ##$^^«^^,,
,^«=^$¤###                                          ###¤$^=«^,