@@@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@@@
#@@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@@#
@§§§§§†~,¨ ¨,~†§§§§§@
##@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@##
#@@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@@#
##@@$§†~,¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨,~†§$@@##
#@@@$§†~,¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨,~†§$@@@#
@$†~¨¨¨¨¨¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨¨¨¨¨¨~†$@
@@@$$§†~,¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¨,~†§$$@@@
#@@@$§†~,¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨,~†§$@@@#
#@@@$§†~,¨ CIGARETTES. ¨,~†§$@@@#
##@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@##
#@@@$§†~,¨ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¨,~†§$@@@#
#@@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@@#
#@@@$§†~,¨ WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ¨,~†§$@@@#
#@@@$§†~,¨ THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ¨,~†§$@@@#
#@@@$§†~,¨ FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ¨,~†§$@@@#
@@@$$§†~,¨ TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ¨,~†§$$@@@
@$†~¨¨¨¨¨¨ MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ¨¨¨¨¨¨~†$@
@$†~,¨¨¨¨¨ LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ¨¨¨¨¨,~†$@
#@@@$§†~,¨ THAT COULD SWALLOW MY ENTIRE BODY. AND ¨,~†§$@@@#
@$§§†††~,¨ ME FEATURING AS THE CUTE AND ASOCIAL ¨,~†††§§$@
@@@@$§†~,¨ RADIO OPERATOR, STATIONED IN THE BACK ¨,~†§$@@@@
#@@@$§†~,¨ OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH ¨,~†§$@@@#
@§†,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨,~§§@
##@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@##
@@@§††,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,††§@@@
@@$$$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$$$@@
@@@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@@@
#@@@$§†~,¨ ¨,~†§$@@@#