.^~^^$#### ####$^^~^.
..^^^^$### ###$^^^^..
.....~~~^# #^~~~.....
.^~^^$#### ####$^^~^.
.^~^^$#### ####$^^~^.
.^~^^$#### $ 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 #####^^~^.
.^~^^$#### - things are deep and dark - but unlike ####$^^~^.
.^~^^$#### me, they never remember during the day. ####$^^~^.
.^~^^$#### this is a mystery we often discuss. ####$^^~^.
.......~^# #^~.......
.^~^^$#### ####$^^~^.
..^^^^~^^# #^^~^^^^..
.....~^$## ##$^~.....
.^~^^$#### ####$^^~^.
.^^^~^^$## ##$^^~^^^.