Next Stop ... You walk down the subway platform thinking about today's destination. You've been on this train several times before: often enough to be comfortable, but not enough to have become jaded. What, six times? Maybe seven? It's still a thrill -- there's still enough uncertainty in the outcome to get your adrenalin pumping. Not many people know about this train, and it isn't on any published schedule. People reading on benches under heaters in the holding area only know it isn't their train. Something causes them to be inattentive when it pulls up to the platform, and they just don't think about it. The train that leaves out of platform 8 always departs on time, it always arrives on time, but the destination is variable. Infinitely variable, of course, since when you're standing in front of the door to the train, that 8 tells you the train's true character. Your intention is the only thing that determines where you will go. You've heard a rumor that if you could make your way to the very last car you would arrive where you started, having gone as far as it's possible to go ... to everywhere and back. An interesting but pointless idea, rather like standing at the exact South Pole wondering what time zone you're in. It's time consuming, but gets you nowhere. So far you've stayed on planet, visiting friends in far-away places around the globe. Today you think you'd like to venture in a different direction. You heard a fellow traveler on your last trip talking about a place called Agara. From what you can gather, Agara is technically on this planet, but it's rather difficult to get there by conventional means, since it exists in ... what did he say? Some sort of pocket space or something. You've done some research on Agara, and this train seems to be your best bet. It's a bit of a risk to say the least, but just setting foot on the train seems a bit risky, so what the hell? The pockets of your jeans are stuffed with catalpa leaves as added insurance. You figure everything you can do to stay focused on Agara will help you get there. If this works ... if you can get to Agara and back safely ... you have another goal. A place that, until you discovered this train, you thought was a fantasy destination, an unattainable dream ... the Nemaean Territories ... .......... This subway station is in Chicago. I had this nice sharp image (except for the person in motion), started postworking it, kept going, and pretty soon it started looking sort of ... well ... sort of Chip-like. It got to the point where I started expecting Victor to appear before me out of a puff of steam. Seriously -- when it was done, I went through Chip's gallery twice to make sure he didn't have this same basic image in his gallery! Of course Agara and Nemaea are Chip's creations, so if you want to know more about those places, you'll have to go back through his gallery and start reading. A worthy use of your time, I assure you! .......... Thank you, my friend, for your inspiration! Feel free to take this train anywhere you want to go, and if you want to use the idea at any time, it's yours.