##@#@%:»:¨ ¨:»:%@#@##
#@#@%:»:¨¨ ¨¨:»:%@#@#
@#@%:»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»:%@#@
#@%:»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»:%@#
@#@%:»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»:%@#@
#@#@%:»:¨¨ 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?" ¨¨:»:%@#@#
##@#@%:»:¨ ¨:»:%@#@##
#@#@%:»:¨¨ ¨¨:»:%@#@#
@#@%:»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»:%@#@
#@%:»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»:%@#
@#@%:»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»:%@#@