@##*††:~^, ,^~:††*##@
##@#*†:~^, ,^~:†*#@##
#††~~^,,,, ,,,,^~~††#
##@#*†:~^, ,^~:†*#@##
@*†††:~~^, ,^~~:†††*@
##†~,,,,,, ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ,,,,,,~†##
@@@#*†:~^, ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ,^~:†*#@@@
##@#*†:~^, SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ,^~:†*#@##
##@#*†:~^, DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ,^~:†*#@##
@*†:^,,,,, JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ,,,,,^:†*@
##@#*†:~^, CIGARETTES. ,^~:†*#@##
##*†††:~^, ,^~:†††*##
#†~~~^^,,, @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ,,,^^~~~†#
##@#*†:~^, ,^~:†*#@##
#@@#*†:~^, WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ,^~:†*#@@#
##@#*†:~^, THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ,^~:†*#@##
##@#*†:~^, FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ,^~:†*#@##
##@#*†:~^, TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ,^~:†*#@##
###@#†:~^, MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ,^~:†#@###
##@#*†:~^, LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ,^~:†*#@##
##††:~^,,, THAT COULD SWALLOW MY ENTIRE BODY. AND ,,,^~:††##
@*††~^,,,, ME FEATURING AS THE CUTE AND ASOCIAL ,,,,^~††*@
##@#*†:~^, RADIO OPERATOR, STATIONED IN THE BACK ,^~:†*#@##
#@*†~^,,,, OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH ,,,,^~†*@#
##@#*†:~^, SERVED ME GOOD AND WELL. ,^~:†*#@##
##@#*†:~^, ,^~:†*#@##
@#††:^,,,, AND THEN ONE NIGHT, THERE'S A MISSILE. ,,,,^:††#@
#††~^,,,,, WE WOULD ROUTINELY PICK UP NEW CARS AT ,,,,,^~††#
##@#*†:~^, THE TAIL, AND DROP SOME OFF, AS A WAY ,^~:†*#@##
#†~~,,,,,, OF EARNING SOME EXTRA MONEY. BUT A ,,,,,,~~†#
#†~,,,,,,, MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ,,,,,,,~†#
##@#*†:~^, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ,^~:†*#@##
##@#*†:~^, ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. ,^~:†*#@##
@#***†:~^, ,^~:†***#@
##*†~,,,,, I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ,,,,,~†*##
##@#*†:~^, MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ,^~:†*#@##
##@#*†:~^, ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ,^~:†*#@##
##††:^,,,, ,,,,^:††##
##@#*†:~^, @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ,^~:†*#@##
@@@#*†:~^, ,^~:†*#@@@
####*†:~^, WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ,^~:†*####
#†††:^,,,, KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ,,,,^:†††#
#*††:~~~^, BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ,^~~~:††*#
###@#*†~^, CALL?" ,^~†*#@###
##@#*†:~^, ,^~:†*#@##
##@#*†:~^, AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL ,^~:†*#@##
#**†~^,,,, THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND ,,,,^~†**#
@*:^,,,,,, AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN ,,,,,,^:*@
##††~~~,,, PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A ,,,~~~††##
##@#*†:~^, REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH ,^~:†*#@##
@@**:::~^, WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ,^~:::**@@
##@#*†:~^, AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ,^~:†*#@##
#**†~,,,,, FEW TIMES. ,,,,,~†**#
@*†::::~^, ,^~::::†*@
@*†~,,,,,, I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ,,,,,,~†*@
####*†:~^, KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ,^~:†*####
###*†~^,,, ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ,,,^~†*###
##††:::~^, SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ,^~:::††##
#@@#*†:~^, AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ,^~:†*#@@#
##@#*†:~^, DETOUR?" ,^~:†*#@##
###@*†:~^, ,^~:†*@###
@#†:~^,,,, ,,,,^~:†#@
#@#†:^,,,, ,,,,^:†#@#
#†:~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~:†#
###@#†:~^, ,^~:†#@###