#@¶&*%/-,, ,,-/%*&¶@#
@¶&*%/-,,, ,,,-/%*&¶@
¶&*%/-,,,, ,,,,-/%*&¶
&*%/-,,,,, ,,,,,-/%*&
*%/-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-/%*
%/-,,,,,,, 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?" ,,,-/%*&¶@
#@¶&*%/-,, ,,-/%*&¶@#
@¶&*%/-,,, ,,,-/%*&¶@
¶&*%/-,,,, ,,,,-/%*&¶
&*%/-,,,,, ,,,,,-/%*&
*%/-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-/%*