¨^~/%$@### ###@$%/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^/%@ @%/^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/%@¶### ###¶@%/~^¨
¨¨¨^~~~%$¶ ¶$%~~~^¨¨¨
¨^~/%$@### ###@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@@@¶ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¶@@@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^/%%@ 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 ###¶@%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## FEW TIMES. ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~/%$@ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST @$%/~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^/$@ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS @$/^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/%$@¶## AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~~~~%$@¶ DETOUR?" ¶@$%~~~~^¨
¨¨¨^~/$@@# #@@$/~^¨¨¨
¨^~/%$@¶## ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## ##¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶¶¶ ¶¶¶@$%/~^¨
¨^~/%$@¶## ##¶@$%/~^¨