####£%*«,¨ ¨,«*%£####
@#£*«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«*£#@
####£%*«,¨ ¨,«*%£####
@##£%*,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,*%£##@
##%%«««,,¨ ¨,,«««%%##
#%*,,¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨,*££#
#@##£%*«,¨ ¨,«*%£##@#
#£%«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨«%£#
#£%*«,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,«*%£#
##%«««¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨«««%##
##£%«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«%£##