@#%^~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~^%#@
#@#&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&#@#
##&&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&&##
#@#&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&#@#
#@#&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&#@#
&%%^^^==~¨             % 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. ¨¨¨¨¨=†%&#
&&&&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&&&&
&††=~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~=††&
#@#&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&#@#
#@#&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&#@#
#@#&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&#@#
@##&%†^=~¨                                          ¨~=^†%&##@