¨¨,»\$$¤¤@ @¤¤$$\»,¨¨
¨,»\\$££¤£ £¤££$\\»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»\$¤ ¤$\»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»\£¤ ¤£\»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»\\£¤@ @¤£\\»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,\£¤¤@ orange-clad train-climber crew, moving @¤¤£\,¨¨¨¨
¨,»\$££¤£@ along the rusty cargo cars like some @£¤££$\»,¨
¨,»\$$$$£¤ 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?" @££££$\»,¨
¨¨¨¨,\££££ ££££\,¨¨¨¨
¨,»\$¤£@## ##@£¤$\»,¨
¨,»\$¤£@## ##@£¤$\»,¨
¨¨¨¨,,\£££ £££\,,¨¨¨¨
¨,»\$£¤£@# #@£¤£$\»,¨