###£%^^~:¨ ¨:~^^%£###
#£££%^^~:¨ ¨:~^^%£££#
#£^^~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~^^£#
#£%^^^:::¨ ¨:::^^^%£#
£^^:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:^^£
##%^~:¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨:~^^%£###
#££^^~~~:¨ ¨:~~~^^££#
###£%^^~:¨ ¨:~^^%£###
£^^:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:^^£
####£%^~:¨ ¨:~^%£####
##%^::¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨::^%##