.,«/$¤&¶@#                                          #@¶&¤$/«,.
..,«/$¤&¶@                                          @¶&¤$/«,..
...,«/$¤&¶                                          ¶&¤$/«,...
....,«/$¤&                                          &¤$/«,....
.....,«/$¤                                          ¤$/«,.....
......,«/$  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?"                 @¶&¤$/«,..
.,«/$¤&¶@#                                          #@¶&¤$/«,.
..,«/$¤&¶@                                          @¶&¤$/«,..
...,«/$¤&¶                                          ¶&¤$/«,...
....,«/$¤&                                          &¤$/«,....
.....,«/$¤                                          ¤$/«,.....