¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~= =~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨