@@$§^-~...                                          ...~-^§$@@
#@@$§^-~..                                          ..~-^§$@@#
##@@$§^-~.                                          .~-^§$@@##
#@@$§^-~..                                          ..~-^§$@@#
@@$§^-~...                                          ...~-^§$@@
@$§^-~.... i fall  asleep in the wrong  throat  and ....~-^§$@
@@$§^-~... is not so much dreaming as  being forced ...~-^§$@@
#@@$§^-~..         to imagine a scenario...         ..~-^§$@@#
##@@$§^-~.                                          .~-^§$@@##
#@@$§^-~..           .~-^§$£@@##@@£$§^-~.           ..~-^§$@@#
@@$§^-~... ........~~~~~~--^§$££$§^--~~~~~~........ ...~-^§$@@
@$§^-~.... ~~~~~-----^^^§§$$$£@@£$$$§§^^^-----~~~~~ ....~-^§$@
@@$§^-~... ........~~~~~~--^§$££$§^--~~~~~~........ ...~-^§$@@
#@@$§^-~..           .~-^§$£@@##@@£$§^-~.           ..~-^§$@@#
##@@$§^-~.                                          .~-^§$@@##
#@@$§^-~..           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 .~-^§$@@##
#@@$§^-~..                                          ..~-^§$@@#
@@$§^-~...                                          ...~-^§$@@
@$§^-~....                                          ....~-^§$@
@@$§^-~...                                          ...~-^§$@@
#@@$§^-~..                                          ..~-^§$@@#
##@@$§^-~.                                          .~-^§$@@##