##@@¤%†=^¨ ¨^=†%¤@@##
@@@@¤%†=^¨ ¨^=†%¤@@@@
###@@¤%†=^ ^=†%¤@@###
##@@¤%†=^¨ ¨^=†%¤@@##
@@@@¤%†=^¨ ¨^=†%¤@@@@
###@@¤%†^¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨^††¤@
@@%†^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^†%@@
#@@@¤%†=^¨ ¨^=†%¤@@@#
@@%=¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨=%@@
##@@¤%†=^¨ ¨^=†%¤@@##
@@@¤%=^^¨¨ ¨¨^^=%¤@@@