¨^=\*&#¶@@ @@¶#&*\=^¨ ¨^=\*&#¶@# #@¶#&*\=^¨ ¨^=\*&#¶## ##¶#&*\=^¨ ¨^=\*&#¶@@ @@¶#&*\=^¨ ¨^=\&#¶@## ##@¶#&\=^¨ ¨^=\*&#¶¶¶ 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. #@¶#&*\=^¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨=\*# #*\=¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨===\&## ##&\===¨¨¨ ¨¨¨=\***#@ @#***\=¨¨¨ ¨^=\*&#¶@# #@¶#&*\=^¨ ¨^=====**# #**=====^¨