¨.=†=¤##@# #@##¤=†=.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.=†¤# #¤†=.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.=†=¤##@# #@##¤=†=.¨
¨.=†=¤##@# #@##¤=†=.¨
¨.=†=¤###@ @###¤=†=.¨
¨.=†=¤##@# 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?" #@##¤=†=.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.††¤# #¤††.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.=†=¤##@# #@##¤=†=.¨
¨.=†====¤# #¤====†=.¨
¨.=†=¤##@@ @@##¤=†=.¨
¨.=†¤##@## ##@##¤†=.¨