¨¨¨¨~~%##@ @##%~~¨¨¨¨
¨:~^%¤¤¤¤# #¤¤¤¤%^~:¨
¨:~^^^¤### ###¤^^^~:¨
¨:~^%¤#@## ##@#¤%^~:¨
¨:~%¤##@## ##@##¤%~:¨
¨:~^%¤##@@ 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?" ###%^^^~:¨
¨:~^%¤##@# #@##¤%^~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~%%# #%%~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~^%¤##@# #@##¤%^~:¨
¨:~^¤##@## ##@##¤^~:¨
¨:~^%¤##@@ @@##¤%^~:¨