##&$†^«.¨¨ ¨¨.«^†$&##
###&$†^«.¨ ¨.«^†$&###
##&$†^«.¨¨ ¨¨.«^†$&##
#&$†^«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«^†$&#
&$†^«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«^†$&
$†^«.¨¨¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨¨¨.«^†$
†^«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«^†
$†^«.¨¨¨¨¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨¨¨¨¨.«^†$
&$†^«.¨¨¨¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨¨¨¨.«^†$&
#&$†^«.¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨.«^†$&#
##&$†^«.¨¨ ¨¨.«^†$&##
###&$†^«.¨ ¨.«^†$&###
##&$†^«.¨¨ ¨¨.«^†$&##
#&$†^«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«^†$&#
&$†^«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«^†$&