¨¨¨¨¨=††¤# #¤††=¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=;†¤#@## ##@#¤†;=,¨
¨,=;†¤#@## ##@#¤†;=,¨
¨¨¨¨,=†¤¤@ @¤¤†=,¨¨¨¨
¨,=;†¤#@## ##@#¤†;=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=†# 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?" ###¤¤†;=,¨
¨,=;†¤#@## ##@#¤†;=,¨
¨,=;¤#@### ###@#¤;=,¨
¨,=;;;†¤¤# #¤¤†;;;=,¨
¨,=;†¤#@@# #@@#¤†;=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨=†¤¤# #¤¤†=¨¨¨¨¨