§@§^«~....                                          ....~«^§@§
#§@§^«~...                                          ...~«^§@§#
##§@§^«~..                                          ..~«^§@§##
###§@§^«~.                                          .~«^§@§###
##§@§^«~..                                          ..~«^§@§##
#§@§^«~... i  fall asleep in the  wrong throat  and ...~«^§@§#
§@§^«~.... is not so  much dreaming as being forced ....~«^§@§
@§^«~.....         to imagine a scenario...         .....~«^§@
§^«~......                                          ......~«^§
@§^«~.....           .~«^§@§######§@§^«~.           .....~«^§@
§@§^«~.... ........~~~~~~««^§@§§@§^««~~~~~~........ ....~«^§@§
#§@§^«~... ~~~~~«««««^^^§§@@@§##§@@@§§^^^«««««~~~~~ ...~«^§@§#
##§@§^«~.. ........~~~~~~««^§@§§@§^««~~~~~~........ ..~«^§@§##
###§@§^«~.           .~«^§@§######§@§^«~.           .~«^§@§###
##§@§^«~..                                          ..~«^§@§##
#§@§^«~...           big halls, arcades,            ...~«^§@§#
§@§^«~....          filled with characters.         ....~«^§@§
@§^«~.....                                          .....~«^§@
§^«~...... i get instructions for  them, for what i ......~«^§
@§^«~..... must imagine them  doing or saying. they .....~«^§@
§@§^«~.... have  some  agency, but  not  while  i'm ....~«^§@§
#§@§^«~...   looking. the instructions are beamed   ...~«^§@§#
##§@§^«~.. into  my mind,  spoken  from  a  god, or ..~«^§@§##
###§@§^«~.             false demiurge.              .~«^§@§###
##§@§^«~..                                          ..~«^§@§##
#§@§^«~... sometimes  i'm too slow and fail to make ...~«^§@§#
§@§^«~.... them  do  what   i'm  instructed  before ....~«^§@§
@§^«~..... time's out, and  then they get punished. .....~«^§@
§^«~......                                          ......~«^§
@§^«~..... one  of them got  his vocabulary  shrunk .....~«^§@
§@§^«~.... down to  only the word  he failed to say ....~«^§@§
#§@§^«~...      (roofs? rufus?), many were just     ...~«^§@§#
##§@§^«~..            physically maimed.            ..~«^§@§##
###§@§^«~.                                          .~«^§@§###
##§@§^«~.. it   all   was    very   stressful   and ..~«^§@§##
#§@§^«~... repulsive. it felt  like a nightmare, or ...~«^§@§#
§@§^«~....               fever dream.               ....~«^§@§
@§^«~.....                                          .....~«^§@
§^«~...... i   haven't   tried   to   sleep   since ......~«^§
@§^«~.....                                          .....~«^§@
§@§^«~....                                          ....~«^§@§
#§@§^«~...                                          ...~«^§@§#
##§@§^«~..                                          ..~«^§@§##
###§@§^«~.                                          .~«^§@§###
##§@§^«~..                                          ..~«^§@§##