¨:-\%%&### ###&%%\-:¨
¨¨:-\%%&## ##&%%\-:¨¨
¨:-\%%&### ###&%%\-:¨
¨¨:-\%%&## ##&%%\-:¨¨
¨:-\%%&### ###&%%\-:¨
¨¨:-\%%&## 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?" ##&%%\-:¨¨
¨:-\%%&### ###&%%\-:¨
¨¨:-\%%&## ##&%%\-:¨¨
¨:-\%%&### ###&%%\-:¨
¨¨:-\%%&## ##&%%\-:¨¨
¨:-\%%&### ###&%%\-:¨