.^~^$%#@##                                          ##@#%$^~^.
.^~^^^%###                                          ###%^^^~^.
.^~^$%#@@@                                          @@@#%$^~^.
.^~^$%#@##                                          ##@#%$^~^.
...^^^$%@#                                          #@%$^^^...
.....^^%##             % 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  @%%^~^....
.....~$%@@ healed,  and wherever  and whenever  i'd @@%$~.....
.~^$%#@### fall  asleep  i'd always  wake up  fully ###@#%$^~.
.^~^$%#@## rested  in  my  bed.  sometimes  there's ##@#%$^~^.
^~^$%#@### accidents  where   i   lose   stuff   by ###@#%$^~^
.^~^$%#@## forgetting to  put them in  the  square. ##@#%$^~^.
...~~$%%%#                                          #%%%$~~...
.^~^$%#@##                     .                    ##@#%$^~^.
.^~^$%#@@@                                          @@@#%$^~^.
....^^~$%@ at  night,  i  have  demi-lucid   dreams @%$~^^....
....^~~^$# where the spirits  of  the forest around #$^~~^....
.^~^$%##@# the cottage tries  to communicate. here, #@##%$^~^.
.....^^$%@ it's not  endless  but  connected  to  a @%$^^.....
....~$%%%@ large  sprawling  city,  where  my radio @%%%$~....
....^~$$%# friends  live. we  go exploring together #%$$~^....
.^~^$%#@@@ - things are deep and dark -  but unlike @@@#%$^~^.
.^~^$%#@## me, they never  remember during the day. ##@#%$^~^.
.^~^$%##@# this  is  a  mystery  we often  discuss. #@##%$^~^.
....^^$$$#                                          #$$$^^....
.^~^$%#@##                                          ##@#%$^~^.
.^~^$%#@##                                          ##@#%$^~^.
.^~^$%#@##                                          ##@#%$^~^.
....^~~$%@                                          @%$~~^....
.^~^$%####                                          ####%$^~^.