#¶¶&%=:«~¨                                          ¨~«:=%&¶¶#
##¶&%=:«~¨                                          ¨~«:=%&¶##
##¶&%=:«~¨                                          ¨~«:=%&¶##
&%==::««~¨                                          ¨~««::==%&
##¶&%=:«~¨                                          ¨~«:=%&¶##
#&==:«¨¨¨¨             % 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. ¨~«:=%&¶##
#¶%%:~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~:%%¶#
#¶&%:«««~¨                                          ¨~«««:%&¶#
&&=:~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~:=&&
##¶&%=:«~¨                                          ¨~«:=%&¶##
##¶&%=:«~¨                                          ¨~«:=%&¶##
##¶&%=:«~¨                                          ¨~«:=%&¶##