@#*\~~~,,, ,,,~~~\*#@
#$\~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~\$#
#*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*#
@@$***\~~, ,~~\***$@@
#**~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~**#
##@#$*\~~, 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, ,,,,,,~~*#
##@#$*\~~, WITH GREAT GLASSLESS WINDOW HOLES ,~~\*$#@##
##@#$*\~~, LOOKING OUT THE WAY YOU CAME. IT IS ,~~\*$#@##
##@#$*\~~, PITCH BLACK INSIDE. ,~~\*$#@##
##*~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~*##
#$*~~~~,,, ,,,~~~~*$#
##@#$*\~~, ,~~\*$#@##
@@@#$*\~~, ,~~\*$#@@@
#@$$**\~~, ,~~\**$$@#