#¤¤^»,,,,, ,,,,,»^¤¤#
¤¤^»,,,,,, ,,,,,,»^¤¤
#¤¤^»,,,,, ,,,,,»^¤¤#
##¤¤^»,,,, ,,,,»^¤¤##
###¤¤^»,,, ,,,»^¤¤###
####¤¤^»,, 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?" ,,,,»^¤¤##
###¤¤^»,,, ,,,»^¤¤###
####¤¤^»,, ,,»^¤¤####
###¤¤^»,,, ,,,»^¤¤###
##¤¤^»,,,, ,,,,»^¤¤##
#¤¤^»,,,,, ,,,,,»^¤¤#