@##§§§:--¨ ¨--:§§§##@
#@#§§§:--¨ ¨--:§§§#@#
§§:-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-:§§
@@#§§§:--¨ ¨--:§§§#@@
###§§§:--¨ ¨--:§§§###
@§§-¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨--:§§§
#§:-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-:§#
#§§§:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:§§§#
@#§§:-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-:§§#@
#@#§§§:--¨ ¨--:§§§#@#
§§--¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨--§§