,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~= =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~=: :=~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~=:% %:=~,,,,,,
,,,,,~=:%¤ 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~= =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~=: :=~,,,,,,,