##@@$*†-.¨ ¨.-†*$@@##
##@@$*†-.¨ ¨.-†*$@@##
##@@$*†-.¨ ¨.-†*$@@##
@*-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-*@
@$$*-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-*$$@
@@$*†-.¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨.-†*$@@
##@@$*†-.¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨.-†*$@@##
##@@$*†-.¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨.-†*$@@##
#@@**†.¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨----†*@
@@@**-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-**@@@
@@*††--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--††*@@
##@@$*†-.¨ ¨.-†*$@@##
##@@$*†-.¨ ¨.-†*$@@##
@@$**††-.¨ ¨.-††**$@@