##@¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤@##
@¤¤:~..... .....~:¤¤@
#@@¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤@@#
###@¤¤†:~, ,~:†¤¤@###
#¤¤†~~~~,. 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?" .,~:†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤@##
¤¤¤:,..... .....,:¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤¤¤¤
@¤::::,... ...,::::¤@
@@¤¤¤†:~,. .,~:†¤¤¤@@