@#¤@=*~-¨¨ ¨¨-~*=@¤#@
#@#¤@=*~-¨ ¨-~*=@¤#@#
@#¤@=*~-¨¨ ¨¨-~*=@¤#@
#¤@=*~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~*=@¤#
¤@=*~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~*=@¤
@=*~-¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨-~*=@¤#
¤@=*~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~*=@¤
@=*~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~*=@
¤@=*~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~*=@¤
#¤@=*~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~*=@¤#
@#¤@=*~-¨¨ ¨¨-~*=@¤#@