##@§%†/~.. ..~/†%§@##
##@§%†/~.. ..~/†%§@##
##@§%†/~.. ..~/†%§@##
@§%%//.... ....//%%§@
@%/....... ......./%@
#§%††~~... 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?" .....~†§§§
#§%†//.... ....//†%§#
#@§§%†/~.. ..~/†%§§@#
§††~~..... .....~~††§
@§†/~~.... ....~~/†§@
##@§%†/~.. ..~/†%§@##