¨,~^†&@£@#                                          #@£@&†^~,¨
¨,~^†&@£@#                                          #@£@&†^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^&££                                          ££&^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^†&@@##                                          ##@@&†^~,¨
¨,~^†&@£@#                                          #@£@&†^~,¨
¨,~^†&@£@@  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?"                 @@@@&†^~,¨
¨,~^†&£@##                                          ##@£&†^~,¨
¨,~^†&@£@#                                          #@£@&†^~,¨
¨¨¨¨,,,~†@                                          @†~,,,¨¨¨¨
¨,~^†&@£@#                                          #@£@&†^~,¨
¨,~^†&@£@@                                          @@£@&†^~,¨