##@¤%*;~,¨ ¨,~;*%¤@##
#@¤%*;~,¨¨ ¨¨,~;*%¤@#
@¤%*;~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~;*%¤@
¤%*;~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~;*%¤
%*;~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~;*%
*;~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ % 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
;~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~;
*;~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~;*
%*;~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~;*%