,,,,»»»»=¤ ¤=»»»»,,,,
,-»†=£¤@## ##@¤£=†»-,
,-»†=£¤@@# #@@¤£=†»-,
,-»†=£¤@## ##@¤£=†»-,
,-»†=£¤@@@ @@@¤£=†»-,
,-»†=£¤@@# 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?" @¤¤¤£=†»-,
,-»†=£¤@## ##@¤£=†»-,
,-»†=£¤@## ##@¤£=†»-,
,,,,,,-»=¤ ¤=»-,,,,,,
,-»†=£¤@## ##@¤£=†»-,
,-»†=£¤@## ##@¤£=†»-,