###@¤%*^»¨ ¨»^*%¤@###
##@¤%*^»,¨ ¨,»^*%¤@##
#@@¤%*^»,¨ ¨,»^*%¤@@#
##@¤%*^»,¨ ¨,»^*%¤@##
##@¤%*^»,¨ ¨,»^*%¤@##
#@%**»,,¨¨ 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. ¨,»^*%@###
##@¤%*^»,¨ ¨,»^*%¤@##
@@@¤%*^»,¨ ¨,»^*%¤@@@
##@¤%*^»,¨ ¨,»^*%¤@##
#¤%**^»»,¨ ¨,»»^**%¤#
@%^^^^,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,^^^^%@