.^~/§£§@##                                          ##@§£§/~^.
....^/§£§#                                          #§£§/^....
.....~§§§§                                          §§§§~.....
.^~/§£§@##                                          ##@§£§/~^.
.^~/§££§§§                                          §§§££§/~^.
.^~/§£§@##  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?"                 #@£/^.....
...^~///£@                                          @£///~^...
.....~~§§§                                          §§§~~.....
.^~/§£§@##                                          ##@§£§/~^.
....^~/§§#                                          #§§/~^....
.^~/§£§@##                                          ##@§£§/~^.