> > The monorail stops smoothly at a small station. Jac takes Mira's > > arm and escorts her from the train. > > > > The first thing Mira notices is that the air here is much cooler, > > thinner, drier. The train pulls away from the station continuing > > it's northerly route, allowing Mira to see beyond the monorail. The > > scene is breathtaking...a high waterfall shining in the sunlight > > falling into the foam of a pool below. The waterfall appears to be > > about 1 kilometer away across a valley from the station. A small > > village is clustered around the river below the waterfall. What > > looks like a chain of silver beads appear to be following a their > > thread from the village below to the top of the falls, and then > > sliding back down. > > > > Jac says, "We can take a cab down to the village and then the grav > > way up to Crystal Falls." > > She looks up at him, "Wow." > > She doesn't seem to think any further commentary is necessary and her > gaze drags away to the view and she drinks it in as he leads her to > the cab. "Yes, 'wow!' does describe it doesn't it." Jac smiles and shifts his gaze from Mira's face back to the scenery in the distance. > "This was what I meant, exactly. I'd never have discovered this. Thank you." "You are most welcome, Mira." he says shifting into a less formal address as he helps her into a waiting cab. The cab ride is a short one, as it leaves the station, going under the raised monorail, then down into the river valley. Next to the river they leave the cab and board one of several gondolas that are riding a cable up from the valley floor to the top of the high cliff from which the water fall is crashing down. The small gondolas can carry no more than six passengers each, Jac and Mira's is empty except for themselves, and move silently up the cable using gravitic lift, rather than the traction that lower tech alternatives might. The gondolas have large windows all around, and through them Mira can observe more and more of the countryside as the gondola ascends toward the clouds of spray near the top of the falls. She sees a picture postcard rural town with multicolored tile roofs and narrow winding streets unfolding below. In the center of the town an old, it looks very old, stone bridge arcs high over the river. Beyond the bridge the town ends almost abrubtly with a high stone wall that rings it from river edge to river edge, broken only by a single large gate. Past the gate a road winds its way through open countryside. As the gondola get higher Mira can see what look like small farms with, mostly grazing fields, surrounding them scattered across the hills beyond the river. When she looks back toward the monorail line she can see now that a small town is clustered around the station and beyond it the countryside is a mixture of forest and open grazing land with scattered farmhouses distinguished by their brightly colored roofs. Looking back down at the town spanning the river, Mira sees a large river craft begin to move away from the docks heading down river. Another can be seen coming up river toward the town. Jac leans over to Mira and points at the boats, "We will take one of the excursion boats back down the river to Nandolini where we will catch the monorail." He smiles, "We'll pass through the Bondo gorge and then out into the Leni Valley before we reach Nandolini...I think you'll enjoy that. Look at the rainbow!" Looking up when the windows begin to be sprayed with mist, Mira sees that the gondola is starting to pass through a permanate cloud of water vaper thrown off by the falls as they crash over the rocky ledge and plunge toward the river below. As the gondola starts to pass through the mist she sees a rainbow rising up from the hidden river below arcing up toward the top of the falls. As the rainbow is obscured by the enveloping mists, it doesn't disappear, instead it seems to have been broken into a million pieces and scattered throughout the air around the cable car...it is like they are passing through the rainbow itself. The rainbow effect fades away as the mists begin to clear, and the gondola stops at the top of the falls allowing Mira and Jac to exit. Opening the doors, Mira hears the roar of the falls in the background, but the foreground is filled with the sounds of classical music. Looking around she sees that a small village here. There is live orchastra is playing in what looks like a natural amphitheater of stone carved into the side of the rocky cliffs that continue to rise on this side of the river. There is a shining metal bridge that arcs over the river to the other side, and most people...and there are dozens up here...are crossing the metal bridge to the other side. "There is an amusment park and such across the bridge." Jac says smiling and steering Mira away from the crowds toward the orchastra, "I have something else in mind for us, though." There are a few other people, mostly couples, also moving in this direction. Before quite reaching the amphitheater, Jac turns to the left toward one of buildings near the edge of the cliffs. There is a sign on the building that says, "Aspesiao's Under the Falls." "Here we are!" Jac says, "Aspesiao's has find food and its ambiance is unbeaten on all of Mark." Inside, Jac and Mira are greeted and after Jac gives his name are escorted to a small room where there is a booth. This is a particular room...the door looks more like a hatch than a regular door and the booth looks more like it is docked here than anything else. The booth itself has high clear plexiglass walls that surround it and there is a sliding door that looks like it can close completely enclosing the booth. After your orders are taken and delivered, your waiter presses a button and says, "Enjoy!" The glass door to the booth slides shut and the booth begins to descend through the floor of the restuerant! After a passing through the floor you find yourself floating in the mists of the falls, and the booth moves slowly and smoothly right into the rainbow zone leaving you to dine surrounded by prisms of light. Jac leans over and says, "This is just the first course." Eris AKU
