.......~~^ ^~~.......
......~~^$ $^~~......
.....~~^$¤ ¤$^~~.....
....~~^$¤§ §¤$^~~....
...~~^$¤§# #§¤$^~~...
..~~^$¤§#@ 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. #@#§¤$^~~.
..~~^$¤§#@ @#§¤$^~~..
...~~^$¤§# #§¤$^~~...
....~~^$¤§ §¤$^~~....
.....~~^$¤ ¤$^~~.....
......~~^$ $^~~......