@¶*/^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^/*¶@
#@¶#*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*#¶@#
¶***/~^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^~/***¶
##@¶*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*¶@##
##¶#*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*#¶##
#@¶#*%/~^¨             * 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. ¨^~//%**##
#@¶#*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*#¶@#
#@¶#*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*#¶@#
¶**//^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^//**¶
@@¶#*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*#¶@@
¶¶¶#*%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%*#¶¶¶
¶¶#**%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%**#¶¶