#@#@&*†~-¨ ¨-~†*&@#@#
#@#@&*†~-¨ ¨-~†*&@#@#
###@&*†~-¨ ¨-~†*&@###
@@*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*@@
@@&*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*&@@
#@#@&*†~-¨ 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?" ¨¨-~~~~†&@
@@&**†---¨ ¨---†**&@@
@@#@&*†~-¨ ¨-~†*&@#@@
@@&†--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--†&@@
#&†---¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨---†&#
#@#@&*†~-¨ ¨-~†*&@#@#