¨~«^*$&###                                          ###&$*^«~¨
¨~«^*$&###                                          ###&$*^«~¨
¨~«^*$&###                                          ###&$*^«~¨
¨~«^*$$&&&                                          &&&$$*^«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*&                                          &*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«^*&&#             $ 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 #&***«««~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^$## large  sprawling  city,  where my  radio ##$^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«**$& friends live. we go  exploring  together &$**«~¨¨¨¨
¨~«*$&#### - things are deep and dark -  but unlike ####&$*«~¨
¨~«^*$&### me, they never remember during  the day. ###&$*^«~¨
¨¨¨««^**$& this  is  a mystery  we  often  discuss. &$**^««¨¨¨
¨~«^*$&###                                          ###&$*^«~¨
¨~«^*$&###                                          ###&$*^«~¨
¨~«^*****&                                          &*****^«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«*&                                          &*«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~«^*$&###                                          ###&$*^«~¨
¨~«^*$&###                                          ###&$*^«~¨