@#&£**»,¨¨ ¨¨,»**£&#@
#@#&£**»,¨ ¨,»**£&#@#
@#&£**»,¨¨ ¨¨,»**£&#@
#&£**»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»**£&#
&£**»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»**£&
£**»,¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨,»**£&#
&£**»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»**£&
£**»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»**£
&£**»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»**£&
#&£**»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»**£&#
@#&£**»,¨¨ ¨¨,»**£&#@