,,,,~~^%§£ £§%^~~,,,,
,,,,,~~^%§ §%^~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~~^% %^~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~^ ^~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~^ 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?" ^~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~~ ~~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~~^ ^~~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~~^% %^~~,,,,,,
,,,,,~~^%§ §%^~~,,,,,
,,,,~~^%§£ £§%^~~,,,,