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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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*/~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~/*