£*«^^.....                                          .....^^«*£
@@#£$**«^.                                          .^«**$£#@@
###£$**«^.                                          .^«**$£###
£$*«......                                          ......«*$£
##@£$**«^.                                          .^«**$£@##
£*«^^.....             $ 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. ...«***£££
@@#£$**«^. this  is  a  mystery  we  often discuss. .^«**$£#@@
£$$*^^^^..                                          ..^^^^*$$£
@£*****«^.                                          .^«*****£@
#@#£$**«^.                                          .^«**$£#@#
£££$***«^.                                          .^«***$£££
@@#£$**«^.                                          .^«**$£#@@
#@#£$**«^.                                          .^«**$£#@#