,,,&&&,,,&                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
&&,,&,,&,,                                          ,&&&&&&&&&
&,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,&&&&&&&&
,,&&&&&&&&                                          &,,&&&&&&&
,,,&&&&&&&                                          ,,,,&&&&&,
&&,,&&&&&,  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?"                 ,&&,,&&&,,
,,,,,&,,,,                                          ,,,,,,&,,,
&&&&,,,&&&                                          &&&&&,,,&&
&&&,,&,,&&                                          &&&&,,&,,&
&&,,,,,,,,                                          ,&&,,,,,,,
,,,&&&&&&&                                          ,,,,&&&&&,