,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,
,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,
,~~~~//¤## ##¤//~~~~,
,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,
,,,,~~~~^¤ ¤^~~~~,,,,
,~~/^¤¤### 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?" #¤^/~,,,,,
,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,
,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,
,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,
,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,
,~~/^¤¤### ###¤¤^/~~,