¨¨,«=*$@##                                          ##@$*=«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«=*$@#                                          #@$*=«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«=*$@                                          @$*=«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$                                          $*=«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*                                          *=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=             $ 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. «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«                                          «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=                                          =«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*                                          *=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨