@@@**=^~~. .~~^=**@@@
##¶@*=^~~. .~~^=*@¶##
@@*=^^^~~. .~~^^^=*@@
##¶@*=^~~. .~~^=*@¶##
¶@=~~~~... ...~~~~=@¶
#@*^~..... * 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. .~~^=*@¶##
##¶@*=^~~. .~~^=*@¶##
##¶@*=^~~. .~~^=*@¶##
##¶@*=^~~. .~~^=*@¶##
##¶@*=^~~. .~~^=*@¶##
##¶@*=^~~. .~~^=*@¶##
#@==~..... .....~==@#