¨,«^$$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«$¤                                          ¤$«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^$$¤#@@                                          @@#¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨¨¨««^$¤@                                          @¤$^««¨¨¨¨
¨,,«^^$$¤#             $ dream palace $             #¤$$^^«,,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#             , ----- ------ ,             #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$$¤##             $ ..... ...... $             ##¤$$$^«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«^$¤             ^ ..... ...... ^             ¤$^«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^^^$$##             , ..... ...... ,             ##$$^^^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#             , ..... ...... ,             #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨,,^^$¤¤@             ¨ ..... ...... ¨             @¤¤$^^,,¨¨
¨,«^$$¤@##                                          ##@¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤@##                                          ##@¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@# not actually a palace. a  cottage in the #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨,««^$$¤¤  woods (temperate climate, rains every   ¤¤$$^««,¨¨
¨,«^$$¤#@# other  day,  springs   and  streams  and #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^$#@   mysterious iron and stone artifacts,   @#$^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#    birdland-ish eternal spring (late     #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^$##                 spring))                 ##$^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤¤¤#                     «                    #¤¤¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@# i wake  up every morning at six am. it's #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤¤¤@ dark,  and  the stars  are out,  but the @¤¤¤$$^«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«^$¤ sun is about  to rise. its  a long  day, ¤$^«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨««$$$# before  it  fades to  night  again,  and #$$$««¨¨¨¨
¨,«^$$¤#@@ then  it stays so  until i fall  asleep. @@#¤$$^«,¨
¨,«««^^$$# it  doesn't  rise  unless  i've  had  my #$$^^«««,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#                 dreams.                  #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^$¤                                          ¤$^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^$$$¤##                     $                    ##¤$$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤@##                                          ##@¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$¤#@## in this cottage  there's a lot of  radio ##@#¤$^«,¨
¨,«^$$$$¤#   equipment, sound stuff, synths, tape   #¤$$$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@# 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. ##@#¤$$^,¨
¨¨¨¨«$$¤¤@                                          @¤¤$$«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«$$¤#@                                          @#¤$$«¨¨¨¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨,«^$$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$$^«,¨
¨¨¨,,«$$$#                                          #$$$«,,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^^$$#@                                          @#$$^^«,¨¨