...==††%%§                                          §%%††==...
..=:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:=..
.....==:%§                                          §%:==.....
..=:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:=..
..=:†%#@##                                          ##@#%†:=..
..=:†%§@##             % 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. @@#§%†:=..
..=:†%§##@                                          @##§%†:=..
.....==†§@                                          @§†==.....
..=:†%§@##                                          ##@§%†:=..
..=:†%§###                                          ###§%†:=..
..=:†%§#@#                                          #@#§%†:=..
.....::%§#                                          #§%::.....