###@%†;=~¨ ¨~=;†%@###
@%;;;~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~;;;%@
###@%†;=~¨ ¨~=;†%@###
####@†;=~¨ ¨~=;†@####
#@††;=~~¨¨ ¨¨~~=;††@#
###@%†;=~¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨~~=;†@
#%%;~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~;%%#
###@%†;=~¨ ¨~=;†%@###
#@@@%†;=~¨ ¨~=;†%@@@#
##@@%†;=~¨ ¨~=;†%@@##
#%††††;=~¨ ¨~=;††††%#