¨,~:*%¤### ###¤%*:~,¨
¨,~:*%¤### ###¤%*:~,¨
¨¨¨~~~~*%# #%*~~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,:%¤¤¤ ¤¤¤%:,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~*%%¤ ¤%%*~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~*%¤#### % 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. ¤%%::~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~****¤ ¤****~¨¨¨¨
¨,~:*%¤### ###¤%*:~,¨
¨,~:*%¤### ###¤%*:~,¨
¨¨¨¨,:%¤¤# #¤¤%:,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~:%%## ##%%:~¨¨¨¨
¨,~:*%¤### ###¤%*:~,¨