##@&$=:~,¨ ¨,~:=$&@##
&=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&
@$$:::~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:::$$@
#&&==~~~,¨ ¨,~~~==&&#
#@&&$=:~,¨ ¨,~:=$&&@#
#@@&$=:~,¨ $ 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 ¨¨¨,~:=&@#
##@&$=:~,¨ FORGETTING TO PUT THEM IN THE SQUARE. ¨,~:=$&@##
#&==~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~==&#
&$:~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~:$&
&$$=::,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,::=$$&
##@&$=:~,¨ AT NIGHT, I HAVE DEMI-LUCID DREAMS ¨,~:=$&@##
##@&$=:~,¨ WHERE THE SPIRITS OF THE FOREST AROUND ¨,~:=$&@##
##@&$=:~,¨ THE COTTAGE TRIES TO COMMUNICATE. HERE, ¨,~:=$&@##
@$::~,¨¨¨¨ IT'S NOT ENDLESS BUT CONNECTED TO A ¨¨¨¨,~::$@
###&$=:~,¨ LARGE SPRAWLING CITY, WHERE MY RADIO ¨,~:=$&###
@@$=~~¨¨¨¨ FRIENDS LIVE. WE GO EXPLORING TOGETHER ¨¨¨¨~~=$@@
@&$=~¨¨¨¨¨ - THINGS ARE DEEP AND DARK - BUT UNLIKE ¨¨¨¨¨~=$&@
#@@&$=:~,¨ ME, THEY NEVER REMEMBER DURING THE DAY. ¨,~:=$&@@#
&&$$$=:~,¨ THIS IS A MYSTERY WE OFTEN DISCUSS. ¨,~:=$$$&&
&&=:~~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~~:=&&
#&=~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~=&#
&==~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~==&
@$==:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:==$@
@&&===:~,¨ ¨,~:===&&@
@@@&$=:~,¨ ¨,~:=$&@@@