^:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:^
:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨             % 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. ¨¨¨¨,~:^%§
%^:~,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,~:^%
^:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:^
:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~