,,^-\*%§@#                                          #@§%*\-^,,
,,,^-\*%§@                                          @§%*\-^,,,
,,,,^-\*%§                                          §%*\-^,,,,
,,,,,^-\*%                                          %*\-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-\*                                          *\-^,,,,,,
,,,,,^-\*%             % 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. #@§%*\-^,,
,^-\*%§@##                                          ##@§%*\-^,
,,^-\*%§@#                                          #@§%*\-^,,
,,,^-\*%§@                                          @§%*\-^,,,
,,,,^-\*%§                                          §%*\-^,,,,
,,,,,^-\*%                                          %*\-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-\*                                          *\-^,,,,,,