&@@@/--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--/@@@&
&@%%--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--%%@&
#@#&@%/--¨ ¨--/%@&#@#
#@/--¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨--/@#
&&@@/-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-/@@&&
#@@@@%/--¨ 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?" ¨--/%@&###
@@#&@%/--¨ ¨--/%@&#@@
###&@%/--¨ ¨--/%@&###
#&&@@%/--¨ ¨--/%@@&&#
#@#&@%/--¨ ¨--/%@&#@#
#@#&@%/--¨ ¨--/%@&#@#