,~=;*#¶### ###¶#*;=~,
,,,,,,=;*# #*;=,,,,,,
,,,,=****# #****=,,,,
,~=;**#¶## ##¶#**;=~,
,,,,,~~;*¶ ¶*;~~,,,,,
,,,,,==*## 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?" ¶¶***=~,,,
,,,~;***## ##***;~,,,
,~=;**#¶## ##¶#**;=~,
,~=;**#¶## ##¶#**;=~,
,~=;**#¶## ##¶#**;=~,
,,,,,==**# #**==,,,,,