¨,~:^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^:~,¨
¨,~:^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^:~,¨
¨¨¨~:^¤¤¤# #¤¤¤^:~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~^¤¤ ¤¤^~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~^¤ ¤^~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~:^¤¤@## 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?" ¤^^:~,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^¤¤ ¤¤^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~:^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^:~,¨
¨,~:^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^:~,¨
¨¨¨¨,::^¤¤ ¤¤^::,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~:^¤ ¤^:~¨¨¨¨¨¨