,,,,,,-~*£ £*~-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-~* *~-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-~ ~-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-~ ~-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-~* 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?" ###@@£*~-,
,,-~*£@@## ##@@£*~-,,
,,,-~*£@@# #@@£*~-,,,
,,,,-~*£@@ @@£*~-,,,,
,,,,,-~*£@ @£*~-,,,,,
,,,,,,-~*£ £*~-,,,,,,