,,,,,,^†£@                                          @£†^,,,,,,
,^«†%£@##@                                          @##@£%†«^,
,,,^^«%£@@                                          @@£%«^^,,,
,,,,,^^†£#                                          #£†^^,,,,,
,^«†%£@#@@                                          @@#@£%†«^,
,,^^«†£@@@  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?"                 ##@#@£%«^,
,^«†%£@#@#                                          #@#@£%†«^,
,^«†%£@#@#                                          #@#@£%†«^,
,^«†%£@#@#                                          #@#@£%†«^,
,,,^««%££#                                          #££%««^,,,
,^^^^«%£@@                                          @@£%«^^^^,