The third story, "The Gotthard Railway, " is the interior monologue of a Japanese travel writer on a scenic Swissrail journey who develops an odd fascination for traversing the dark "belly" of the mountain.
With its elaborate system of narrow passes, viaducts and rock-hewn tunnels, the Swissrail network has set the standard for more than a century, since its engineers first laid tracks up and down the steepest slopes and seemingly defied the impossible.