,,,,,-^^£¶                                          ¶£^^-,,,,,
,,,,,--†##                                          ##†--,,,,,
,,,~-†£#¶#                                          #¶#£†-~,,,
,~-^†£#¶##                                          ##¶#£†^-~,
,~-^†£#¶##                                          ##¶#£†^-~,
,,,,,,-†£#  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?"                 ¶#££†---~,
,~-^†£#¶##                                          ##¶#£†^-~,
,~-^†£#¶##                                          ##¶#£†^-~,
,,,,,,-^†#                                          #†^-,,,,,,
,~-^†£#¶##                                          ##¶#£†^-~,
,~-^†£#¶##                                          ##¶#£†^-~,