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.......«:%             $ dream palace $             %:«.......
........«:             . ----- ------ .             :«........
.........«             $ ..... ...... $             «.........
........«:             : ..... ...... :             :«........
.......«:%             . ..... ...... .             %:«.......
......«:%$             . ..... ...... .             $%:«......
.....«:%$#             . ..... ...... .             #$%:«.....
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..«:%$#### 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    $%:«......
.......«:%                 spring))                 %:«.......
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.........«                    «                     «.........
........«:                                          :«........
.......«:% i wake up every  morning at six am. it's %:«.......
......«:%$ 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. $%:«......
.....«:%$#                                          #$%:«.....
....«:%$##                    .                     ##$%:«....
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..«:%$#### 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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