...^«†$&£@                                          @£&$†«^...
..^«†$&£@#                                          #@£&$†«^..
.^«†$&£@##                                          ##@£&$†«^.
^«†$&£@###                                          ###@£&$†«^
.^«†$&£@##                                          ##@£&$†«^.
..^«†$&£@#             & DREAM PALACE &             #@£&$†«^..
...^«†$&£@             ^ ----- ------ ^             @£&$†«^...
....^«†$&£             & ..... ...... &             £&$†«^....
.....^«†$&             † ..... ...... †             &$†«^.....
......^«†$             ^ ..... ...... ^             $†«^......
.......^«†             ^ ..... ...... ^             †«^.......
........^«             . ..... ...... .             «^........
.........^                                          ^.........
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.......... NOT ACTUALLY A PALACE.  A COTTAGE IN THE ..........
..........  WOODS (TEMPERATE CLIMATE, RAINS EVERY   ..........
.......... OTHER  DAY,  SPRINGS   AND  STREAMS  AND ..........
..........   MYSTERIOUS IRON AND STONE ARTIFACTS,   ..........
..........    BIRDLAND-ISH ETERNAL SPRING (LATE     ..........
..........                 SPRING))                 ..........
.........^                                          ^.........
........^«                    «                     «^........
.......^«†                                          †«^.......
......^«†$ 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. @£&$†«^...
..^«†$&£@#                                          #@£&$†«^..
.^«†$&£@##                                          ##@£&$†«^.
^«†$&£@###                                          ###@£&$†«^
.^«†$&£@##                                          ##@£&$†«^.
..^«†$&£@#                                          #@£&$†«^..
...^«†$&£@                                          @£&$†«^...