,:~:†*¤@@# #@@¤*†:~:,
,:~:†*¤@## ##@¤*†:~:,
,,,,:~:†¤@ @¤†:~:,,,,
,:~:†*¤@@# #@@¤*†:~:,
,,,~~†*¤@@ @@¤*†~~,,,
,:~~:::*¤@ 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. @@@¤*†:~:,
,,,,,,::†¤ ¤†::,,,,,,
,,,,::††*¤ ¤*††::,,,,
,,,::~†¤¤¤ ¤¤¤†~::,,,
,:~:†*¤¤@@ @@¤¤*†:~:,
,,,:::**¤@ @¤**:::,,,