,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~« «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«^ 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. &^«~,,,,,,
,,,,,~«^&& &&^«~,,,,,
,,,,~«^&&# #&&^«~,,,,
,,,~«^&&## ##&&^«~,,,
,,~«^&&### ###&&^«~,,
,~«^&&#### ####&&^«~,