¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=*¤ ¤*=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:**%¤¤# #¤¤%**:¨¨¨
¨:=**%¤@## ##@¤%**=:¨
¨:=**%¤¤¤# #¤¤¤%**=:¨
¨:=**%¤@@@ @@@¤%**=:¨
¨:=**%¤@## % 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. ##@¤%**=:¨
¨:=**%¤@@@ @@@¤%**=:¨
¨:=**%¤@## ##@¤%**=:¨
¨:=**%¤### ###¤%**=:¨
¨¨¨¨===*%@ @%*===¨¨¨¨
¨:=**%¤¤¤# #¤¤¤%**=:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=**¤ ¤**=¨¨¨¨¨¨