......=†&&                                          &&†=......
......==&&                                          &&==......
..==†&&@##                                          ##@&&†==..
..==†&&@##                                          ##@&&†==..
..==†&&@##                                          ##@&&†==..
..====††&@             & 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. &&=.......
..==†&&@##                                          ##@&&†==..
..==†&&@##                                          ##@&&†==..
......==&@                                          @&==......
.....=&&&&                                          &&&&=.....
......==†&                                          &†==......
.....==†&@                                          @&†==.....