###&§=^~:¨ ¨:~^=§&###
#@#&§=^~:¨ ¨:~^=§&#@#
#@#&§=^~:¨ ¨:~^=§&#@#
&=^^:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:^^=&
@#§§^~~~:¨ ¨:~~~^§§#@
#@#&§=^~:¨ 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?" ¨~^=§&#@##
@&=^:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:^=&@
&=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&
#&§^^::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨::^^§&#
&&=^^:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:^^=&&
##§=^:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:^=§##