@###@*:~.¨ ¨.~:*@###@
##@#@*:~.¨ ¨.~:*@#@##
#@@*:.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.:*@@#
#@@:.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.:@@#
###@#*:~.¨ ¨.~:*#@###
@#@:.¨¨¨¨¨ @ 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. ¨.~:*@#@##
##@#@*:~.¨ ¨.~:*@#@##
#@@:~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~:@@#
#@@@@*:~.¨ ¨.~:*@@@@#
##@#@*:~.¨ ¨.~:*@#@##
@@@**:~~.¨ ¨.~~:**@@@
##@#@*:~.¨ ¨.~:*@#@##