#####&†/,¨ ¨,/†&#####
##††=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=††##
####&†/=,¨ ¨,=/†&####
####&†/=,¨ ¨,=/†&####
####&†/=,¨ ¨,=/†&####
##†=,¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨,=/†&####
##&/=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=/&##
#&†=¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨=†&#
#††//=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=//††#
####&†/=,¨ ¨,=/†&####
####&†/=,¨ ¨,=/†&####