.....~^$§@                                          @§$^~.....
......~^$§                                          §$^~......
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
........~^                                          ^~........
.........~                                          ~.........
..........                train dream               ..........
..........   ######.....~....#####################  ..........
..........                    ^^^                   ..........
.........~                     ~                    ~.........
........~^                    ~                     ^~........
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
......~^$§               (situation)                §$^~......
.....~^$§@                                          @§$^~.....
....~^$§@# you  find  yourself  in   a  rift  -   a #@§$^~....
...~^$§@##  clearing, narrow but immeasurably long. ##@§$^~...
..~^$§@### to your  sides are  walls made of trees, ###@§$^~..
...~^$§@## thick and ready to swallow you. the  sun ##@§$^~...
....~^$§@# is  nowhere to  be seen, but  nontheless #@§$^~....
.....~^$§@ it is very bright -  the air feels light @§$^~.....
......~^$§           blue, almost white.            §$^~......
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
........~^ along  the  span of the clearing lay two ^~........
.........~    parallel silvery lines, dark hard     ~.........
.......... metal.  somehow you  can  see  how heavy ..........
..........                they are.                 ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........~ they  emit  a  high   pitched   whine... ~.........
........~^                                          ^~........
.......~^$                     ~                    $^~.......
......~^$§                  ..$..                   §$^~......
.....~^$§@                    ~                     @§$^~.....
....~^$§@#                                          #@§$^~....
...~^$§@##                (situation)               ##@§$^~...
..~^$§@###                                          ###@§$^~..
...~^$§@## youre   at   the  train station,   on  a ##@§$^~...
....~^$§@# catwalk  above the  rails. your train is #@§$^~....
.....~^$§@ late,  or  you are  late  to the  train. @§$^~.....
......~^$§ it's a summer afternoon  and the station §$^~......
.......~^$ is  busy,  full  of  relaxed confidence. $^~.......
........~^                                          ^~........
.........~ you're in  high spirits, although  a bit ~.........
.......... stressed about  the  time, while  moving ..........
.......... up the  stairs  to  your  platform.  the ..........
.......... station  is   in   several  levels,  all ..........
.........~      placed within eachother by some     ~.........
........~^    intelligent designer, and full of     ^~........
.......~^$       stairs, elevators, shortcuts,      $^~.......
......~^$§ bazaars...  you sight your train through §$^~......
.....~^$§@ some  glass windows. it's...  not  where @§$^~.....
....~^$§@#           it's supposed to be?           #@§$^~....
...~^$§@##                                          ##@§$^~...
..~^$§@###                     ~                    ###@§$^~..
...~^$§@##                   ..§..                  ##@§$^~...
....~^$§@#                    ~                     #@§$^~....
.....~^$§@                                          @§$^~.....
......~^$§                (situation)               §$^~......
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
........~^ you're finally entering  the city. while ^~........
.........~ it  is indeed  a  very high  speed train ~.........
.......... you're  traveling in,  the  journey  has ..........
.......... been  long.  but  it's  about   to  end! ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........~ society  is growing denser  around  you, ~.........
........~^ through the windows  you see first small ^~........
.......~^$ shacks, built of  metal and stone,  then $^~.......
......~^$§ proper houses with  mortar to keep  them §$^~......
.....~^$§@ together... who  in turn  make  way  for @§$^~.....
....~^$§@#   the industrial buildings, the urban    #@§$^~....
...~^$§@##      maze, protective walls, jungle      ##@§$^~...
..~^$§@###                network...                ###@§$^~..
...~^$§@##                                          ##@§$^~...
....~^$§@# the  tracks  leave the ground, which  is #@§$^~....
.....~^$§@ needed  for   other  purposes.  you  are @§$^~.....
......~^$§   carried gently, curving upwards until  §$^~......
.......~^$ you're moving  upward  along the wall of $^~.......
........~^ a building. it's made of  slabby  stone, ^~........
.........~     with great glassless window holes    ~.........
.......... looking  out the  way  you  came. it  is ..........
..........           pitch black inside.            ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~^                                          ^~........
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
......~^$§                                          §$^~......