,,,,,,«†*%                                          %*†«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«†*                                          *†«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«†                                          †«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,«                                          «,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,             % 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. †«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«†*                                          *†«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«†*%                                          %*†«,,,,,,
,,,,,«†*%§                                          §%*†«,,,,,
,,,,«†*%§#                                          #§%*†«,,,,
,,,«†*%§##                                          ##§%*†«,,,
,,«†*%§###                                          ###§%*†«,,