$*~^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^~*$
*~^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^~*
$*~^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^~*$
@$*~^,,,,, ,,,,,^~*$@
&@$*~^,,,, ,,,,^~*$@&
¶&@$*~^,,, TRAIN DREAM ,,,^~*$@&¶
#¶&@$*~^,, ######,,,,^~^^,,##################### ,,^~*$@&¶#
##¶&@$*~^, *** ,^~*$@&¶##
#¶&@$*~^,, ~ ,,^~*$@&¶#
¶&@$*~^,,, ~ ,,,^~*$@&¶
&@$*~^,,,, ,,,,^~*$@&
@$*~^,,,,, (SITUATION) ,,,,,^~*$@
$*~^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^~*$
*~^,,,,,,, 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 ,,,,,,,^~*
$*~^,,,,,, YOU'RE MOVING UPWARD ALONG THE WALL OF ,,,,,,^~*$
@$*~^,,,,, A BUILDING. IT'S MADE OF SLABBY STONE, ,,,,,^~*$@
&@$*~^,,,, WITH GREAT GLASSLESS WINDOW HOLES ,,,,^~*$@&
¶&@$*~^,,, LOOKING OUT THE WAY YOU CAME. IT IS ,,,^~*$@&¶
#¶&@$*~^,, PITCH BLACK INSIDE. ,,^~*$@&¶#
##¶&@$*~^, ,^~*$@&¶##
#¶&@$*~^,, ,,^~*$@&¶#
¶&@$*~^,,, ,,,^~*$@&¶
&@$*~^,,,, ,,,,^~*$@&
@$*~^,,,,, ,,,,,^~*$@