&&&&*†/=~¨ ¨~=/†*&&&&
&&†/~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~/†&&
##&**†/=~¨ ¨~=/†**#
&†///=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=///†&
###&*†/=~¨ ¨~=/†*##
&*///==¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨~/†*&
####&*/=~¨ ¨~=/*###
###&*†/=~¨ ¨~=/†*##
&&**//~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~//**&&
###&*†/=~¨ ¨~=/†*##
###&*†/=~¨ ¨~=/†*##