#&**:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:**&#
##&**:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:**&##
###&**:~,¨ ¨,~:**&###
##&**:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:**&##
#&**:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:**&#
&**:~,¨¨¨¨ * 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. ¨¨¨,~:**&#
##&**:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:**&##
###&**:~,¨ ¨,~:**&###
##&**:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:**&##
#&**:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:**&#
&**:~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~:**&
#&**:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:**&#