**\=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=\**
¤**\=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=\**¤
¶¤**\=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=\**¤¶
#¶¤**\=~¨¨ ¨¨~=\**¤¶#
##¶¤**\=~¨ ¨~=\**¤¶##
#¶¤**\=~¨¨ * 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~