.....^~%$§                                          §$%~^.....
......^~%$                                          $%~^......
.......^~%                                          %~^.......
........^~                                          ~^........
.........^                                          ^.........
..........             $ 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. §$%~^.....
......^~%$                                          $%~^......
.......^~%                                          %~^.......
........^~                                          ~^........
.........^                                          ^.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........