¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*† †*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~* *~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~* 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?" ####$†*~,¨
¨¨,~*†$### ###$†*~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~*†$## ##$†*~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~*†$# #$†*~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~*†$ $†*~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*† †*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨