¤$$††~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~††$$¤
¤¤¤%~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~%¤¤¤
@¤¤$†~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~†$¤¤@
¤$$%%~~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~~%%$$¤
@@$$$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$$$@@
@¤¤¤$%†~:¨             $ 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 ¨:~†%%%¤¤¤
##@¤$%†~:¨ - THINGS ARE DEEP AND  DARK - BUT UNLIKE ¨:~†%$¤@##
##@¤$%†~:¨ ME,  THEY NEVER REMEMBER DURING THE DAY. ¨:~†%$¤@##
#¤¤¤$%†~:¨ THIS  IS  A  MYSTERY  WE  OFTEN DISCUSS. ¨:~†%$¤¤¤#
#¤¤¤$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$¤¤¤#
#@@¤$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$¤@@#
@¤¤$$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$$¤¤@
##@¤$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$¤@##
@¤¤$%%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%%$¤¤@
#@¤$†~~::¨                                          ¨::~~†$¤@#