#%%*~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~*%%#
%%*~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~*%%
%*~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~*%
*~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~*
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
*~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ % 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. ¨¨¨¨.~*%%#
##%%*~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~*%%##
###%%*~.¨¨ ¨¨.~*%%###
####%%*~.¨ ¨.~*%%####
###%%*~.¨¨ ¨¨.~*%%###
##%%*~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~*%%##
#%%*~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~*%%#