##@&$%†~^.                                          .^~†%$&@##
@$%~~.....                                          .....~~%$@
@@&&$%†~^.                                          .^~†%$&&@@
##@&$%†~^.                                          .^~†%$&@##
@@&&$%†~^.                                          .^~†%$&&@@
#@&&$%†~^.             $ 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 ...^~~~†%&
#@$††~~^.. where the spirits  of the forest  around ..^~~††$@#
@&&&$%†~^. the cottage tries  to communicate. here, .^~†%$&&&@
###@&$%†^. it's not  endless  but  connected  to  a .^†%$&@###
##@&$%†~^. large sprawling  city,  where  my  radio .^~†%$&@##
##@&$%†~^. friends  live. we go  exploring together .^~†%$&@##
##@&$%†~^. - things are deep and dark - but  unlike .^~†%$&@##
@$$$$%†~^. me,  they never remember during the day. .^~†%$$$$@
###@$%†~^. this  is  a mystery  we  often  discuss. .^~†%$@###
&&%~^.....                                          .....^~%&&
&&%~~^....                                          ....^~~%&&
@$†~^^....                                          ....^^~†$@
#&$%%%†~^.                                          .^~†%%%$&#
##@&$%†~^.                                          .^~†%$&@##
&%†^^^....                                          ....^^^†%&