/=-....... .......-=/
*/=-...... ......-=/*
%*/=-..... .....-=/*%
&%*/=-.... ....-=/*%&
#&%*/=-... ...-=/*%
@#&%*/=-.. 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. .........-
=-........ ........-=
/=-....... .......-=/
*/=-...... ......-=/*
%*/=-..... .....-=/*%
&%*/=-.... ....-=/*%&