,^«=%*¤¶##                                          ##¶¤*%=«^,
,,,,««=*¤¶                                          ¶¤*=««,,,,
,^«=%*¤¶##                                          ##¶¤*%=«^,
,^«=%*¤¶##                                          ##¶¤*%=«^,
,,,,^^==*¤                                          ¤*==^^,,,,
,^«=%%%*¶¶             * 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. ¶¶¤*%««^,,
,^««««=*¤¶                                          ¶¤*=««««^,
,,,,^=%*¶¶                                          ¶¶*%=^,,,,
,^«=*¤¶###                                          ###¶¤*=«^,
,^«=%*¤¶##                                          ##¶¤*%=«^,
,,^«««=*¶¶                                          ¶¶*=«««^,,
,^«=%*¶###                                          ###¶*%=«^,