##@¤§§†~.¨ ¨.~†§§¤@##
##@¤§§†~.¨ ¨.~†§§¤@##
##@¤§§†~.¨ ¨.~†§§¤@##
@¤§§†~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~†§§¤@
##@¤§§†~.¨ ¨.~†§§¤@##
##@¤§§†~.¨ 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?" ¨¨..††§§¤#
#@§§†~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~†§§@#
¤§§§§§†~.¨ ¨.~†§§§§§¤
##@¤§§†~.¨ ¨.~†§§¤@##
##@¤§§†~.¨ ¨.~†§§¤@##
¤¤§~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~§¤¤