##@&£\=~¨¨ ¨¨~=\£&@##
#@&£\=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=\£&@#
@&£\=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=\£&@
#@&£\=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=\£&@#
##@&£\=~¨¨ ¨¨~=\£&@##
###@&£\=~¨ 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?" ¨~=\£&@###
##@&£\=~¨¨ ¨¨~=\£&@##
#@&£\=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=\£&@#
@&£\=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=\£&@
#@&£\=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=\£&@#
##@&£\=~¨¨ ¨¨~=\£&@##