@%%^^††~,. .,~††^^%%@
#@#@%^†~,. .,~†^%@#@#
@@@^^†~~,. .,~~†^^@@@
#@#@%^†~,. .,~†^%@#@#
@^†,,,.... ....,,,†^@
@@^†††~... 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?" ...~†^%%@@
@@#@%^†~,. .,~†^%@#@@
#@#@%^†~,. .,~†^%@#@#
#%††~..... .....~††%#
#@#@%^†~,. .,~†^%@#@#
#@#@%^†~,. .,~†^%@#@#