#¤&&&*^=^¨ ¨^=^*&&&¤#
@¤*=¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨=*¤@
@¤*==^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^==*¤@
##@¤&*^=^¨ ¨^=^*&¤@##
##@¤&*^=^¨ ¨^=^*&¤@##
¤**^=¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨^=^*&¤@##
@&^^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^^&@
##@¤&*^=^¨ ¨^=^*&¤@##
##@¤&*^=^¨ ¨^=^*&¤@##
@&^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^&@
##@¤&*^=^¨ ¨^=^*&¤@##