¨~«*=*&¶##                                          ##¶&*=*«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«=&#                                          #&=«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~***&                                          &***~~¨¨¨¨
¨~«*=====&                                          &=====*«~¨
¨¨¨¨~~~«=&                                          &=«~~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««=&             * 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. &=**~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~«*====&&                                          &&====*«~¨
¨¨¨¨~~**¶¶                                          ¶¶**~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~**&                                          &**~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨«==*&                                          &*==«¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~~«=&#                                          #&=«~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«=&                                          &=«~¨¨¨¨¨¨