....^~=*¤@                                          @¤*=~^....
...^~=*¤@#                                          #@¤*=~^...
..^~=*¤@##                                          ##@¤*=~^..
.^~=*¤@###                                          ###@¤*=~^.
..^~=*¤@##                                          ##@¤*=~^..
...^~=*¤@#             ¤ 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. @¤*=~^....
.....^~=*¤                                          ¤*=~^.....
....^~=*¤@                                          @¤*=~^....
...^~=*¤@#                                          #@¤*=~^...
..^~=*¤@##                                          ##@¤*=~^..
.^~=*¤@###                                          ###@¤*=~^.
..^~=*¤@##                                          ##@¤*=~^..