§§**;--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--;**§§
#@¶§*%;--¨                                          ¨--;%*§¶@#
@¶*%%--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--%%*¶@
#@¶§*%;--¨                                          ¨--;%*§¶@#
§***;;-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-;;***§
¶*%-¨¨¨¨¨¨             * 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. ¨¨¨--%%%*¶
#@¶§*%;--¨                                          ¨--;%*§¶@#
@@¶§*%;--¨                                          ¨--;%*§¶@@
#@¶§*%;--¨                                          ¨--;%*§¶@#
#@¶§*%;--¨                                          ¨--;%*§¶@#
¶§%-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-%§¶
@¶§%%;-¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨-;%%§¶@