@#*$†~,...                                          ...,~†$*#@
#*$†~,....                                          ....,~†$*#
*$†~,.....                                          .....,~†$*
$†~,......                                          ......,~†$
†~,.......                                          .......,~†
~,........             * 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 .......,~†
$†~,...... where  the  spirits of the forest around ......,~†$
*$†~,..... the cottage  tries to communicate. here, .....,~†$*
#*$†~,.... it's  not endless  but  connected  to  a ....,~†$*#
@#*$†~,... large  sprawling city,  where  my  radio ...,~†$*#@
#@#*$†~,.. friends  live.  we go exploring together ..,~†$*#@#
##@#*$†~,. - things are deep and dark -  but unlike .,~†$*#@##
#@#*$†~,.. me, they never remember during the  day. ..,~†$*#@#
@#*$†~,... this  is a  mystery  we  often  discuss. ...,~†$*#@
#*$†~,....                                          ....,~†$*#
*$†~,.....                                          .....,~†$*
$†~,......                                          ......,~†$
†~,.......                                          .......,~†
~,........                                          ........,~
,.........                                          .........,