##$*\~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~\*$##
###$*\~~¨¨ ¨¨~~\*$###
####$*\~~¨ ¨~~\*$####
###$*\~~¨¨ ¨¨~~\*$###
##$*\~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~\*$##
#$*\~~¨¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨¨~~\*$#
$*\~~¨¨¨¨¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨¨¨¨¨~~\*$
*\~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
\~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~\
*\~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~\*
$*\~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~\*$