###@@*^~^. .^~^*@@###
##@@&*^~^. .^~^*&@@##
@**^~~^... ...^~~^**@
##@@&*^~^. .^~^*&@@##
##@@&*^~^. .^~^*&@@##
#@&^~^^^.. & 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. .^~^*@@###
##@@&*^~^. .^~^*&@@##
##@@&*^~^. .^~^*&@@##
###@&*^~^. .^~^*&@###
##@@&*^~^. .^~^*&@@##
##@@&*^~^. .^~^*&@@##
@*^~...... ......~^*@