¨¨~~;^¤¤## ##¤¤^;~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~;^¤¤# #¤¤^;~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;^¤¤ ¤¤^;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;^¤ ¤^;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;^ ^;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~; 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?" ###¤¤^;~~¨
¨¨~~;^¤¤## ##¤¤^;~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~;^¤¤# #¤¤^;~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;^¤¤ ¤¤^;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;^¤ ¤^;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;^ ^;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨