.^~:§*§§§#                                          #§§§*§:~^.
.^~:§*§###                                          ###§*§:~^.
.....~~§*#                                          #*§~~.....
.....^::*#                                          #*::^.....
.^~:§*§###                                          ###§*§:~^.
.^~:§*§###             * 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. ###§*§:~^.
.^~:§*####                                          ####*§:~^.
^~:§*§####                                          ####§*§:~^
.^~:§*§§§§                                          §§§§*§:~^.
.^~:§§####                                          ####§§:~^.
....^~:*§#                                          #§*:~^....
.^~~~~§*§#                                          #§*§~~~~^.