§§¨¨§¨¨§¨§                                          §§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§¨§§¨§§§§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨§§¨¨¨§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨§§¨§¨¨§§                                          §¨§¨¨¨§¨§§
¨§¨§§§¨§¨§                                          §§§¨¨§§§¨§
§§§¨¨§§§§§             ¤ 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. §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§§§¨§¨§§§                                          §§¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§§¨¨§                                          ¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§¨¨§§§§¨                                          §¨§§¨¨¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨¨¨§§                                          §§¨§¨¨§§§§
§§§§§¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨§¨¨¨¨