#@@&%\»:¨¨ ¨¨:»\%&@@#
@@&%\»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»\%&@@
@&%\»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»\%&@
&%\»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»\%&
%\»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»\%
\»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨:»\%&@@##
#@@&%\»:¨¨ ¨¨:»\%&@@#
@@&%\»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»\%&@@
@&%\»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»\%&@
&%\»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»\%&
%\»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»\%