.......^~^                                          ^~^.......
........^~                                          ~^........
.........^                                          ^.........
........^~                                          ~^........
.......^~^                                          ^~^.......
......^~^*             $ 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. $*^~^.....
......^~^*                                          *^~^......
.......^~^                                          ^~^.......
........^~                                          ~^........
.........^                                          ^.........
........^~                                          ~^........
.......^~^                                          ^~^.......