##@@%*/»,¨ ¨,»/*%@@##
###@%*/»,¨ ¨,»/*%@###
#@%%%*/»,¨ ¨,»/*%%%@#
##@@%*/»,¨ ¨,»/*%@@##
@@*//,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,//*@@
@@@**»,,¨¨ 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. ¨,»»»/%@@#
@@@@%*/»,¨ ¨,»/*%@@@@
@%*»»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»»*%@
##@@%*/»,¨ ¨,»/*%@@##
@*/»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»/*@
##@@%*/»,¨ ¨,»/*%@@##