.....:~^§%                                          %§^~:.....
....:~^§%¤                                          ¤%§^~:....
...:~^§%¤#                                          #¤%§^~:...
..:~^§%¤##                                          ##¤%§^~:..
.:~^§%¤###                                          ###¤%§^~:.
..:~^§%¤##             % 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. #¤%§^~:...
....:~^§%¤                                          ¤%§^~:....
.....:~^§%                                          %§^~:.....
......:~^§                                          §^~:......
.......:~^                                          ^~:.......
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.....:~^§%                                          %§^~:.....