.......«†&                                          &†«.......
.~«*†@&@@@                                          @@@&@†*«~.
....~«††&@                                          @&††«~....
.~«*†@@&&#                                          #&&@@†*«~.
......~*†&                                          &†*~......
.....~*@@#             @ 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. @@&†*«~~~.
.~«*†@&@##                                          ##@&@†*«~.
...~«*@&&#                                          #&&@*«~...
.~«*†@&@##                                          ##@&@†*«~.
....~~*†@@                                          @@†*~~....
.~«*†@&@##                                          ##@&@†*«~.
.~«*†@&@##                                          ##@&@†*«~.