.^«:§££&&@ @&&££§:«^.
.^«::§£&&@ @&&£§::«^.
.^«:§£&@## ##@&£§:«^.
.^«:§£&&&& &&&&£§:«^.
.^««:§§&&& &&&§§:««^.
.^«:§£&@@# 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?" ##@&£§:«^.
.......«§& &§«.......
.^«:§£&@## ##@&£§:«^.
.^«:§£&@## ##@&£§:«^.
.^«:§£&@## ##@&£§:«^.
.^«:§£&@## ##@&£§:«^.