.,-:^¤#@## ##@#¤^:-,.
..,-:^¤#@# #@#¤^:-,..
.,-:^¤#@## ##@#¤^:-,.
..,-:^¤#@# #@#¤^:-,..
.,-:^¤#@## ##@#¤^:-,.
..,-:^¤#@# 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?" #@#¤^:-,..
.,-:^¤#@## ##@#¤^:-,.
..,-:^¤#@# #@#¤^:-,..
.,-:^¤#@## ##@#¤^:-,.
..,-:^¤#@# #@#¤^:-,..
.,-:^¤#@## ##@#¤^:-,.