,~=\%%¤£## ##£¤%%\=~,
,~=\%%¤£## ##£¤%%\=~,
,~=\%%¤£## ##£¤%%\=~,
,~=\%%¤££# #££¤%%\=~,
,,~~=\%%%£ £%%%\=~~,,
,~=\%%¤£## 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?" ¤%%%%\\=~,
,~=\%%¤£## ##£¤%%\=~,
,~=\%%¤£## ##£¤%%\=~,
,,,,,,,=%¤ ¤%=,,,,,,,
,,,,,=%%¤¤ ¤¤%%=,,,,,
,~=\%%¤### ###¤%%\=~,