#&^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^&#
#&&††~,,,, ,,,,~††&&#
###&&†^~,, ,,~^†&&###
#&&&^^~,,, ,,,~^^&&&#
&†~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~†&
&&†~~,,,,, 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?" ,,~^†&&&&#
#&&††^^~,, ,,~^^††&&#
###&&†^~,, ,,~^†&&###
###&&†^~,, ,,~^†&&###
###&&†^~,, ,,~^†&&###
###&&†^~,, ,,~^†&&###