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