,:»;*%¤@## ##@¤%*;»:, ,,,,»»;;%@ @%;;»»,,,, ,:»;*%¤@## ##@¤%*;»:, ,:»;*%¤@## ##@¤%*;»:, ,,,,,:;%¤# #¤%;:,,,,, ,,,::;**¤¤ % 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. @@¤*;»:,,, ,:»;*%¤@## ##@¤%*;»:, ,,,,,»;*¤¤ ¤¤*;»,,,,, ,,,:»»;%¤# #¤%;»»:,,, ,:»;*%¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤%*;»:, ,:»;***¤¤# #¤¤***;»:, ,,,,,,:»*¤ ¤*»:,,,,,,