§§§....§.§                                          §.§§..§§§§
..§...§§§.                                          §§.§.§....
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§.§.§§.§..                                          §....§....
§§§§.§§§..                                          §...§§...§
...§§..§..             % 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. §§§.§.§...
§§.§..§§..                                          ..§§§§§..§
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§..§§§§§§.                                          §§...§§§§.
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