#=/,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,/=#
##@#¤=/~,, ,,~/=¤#@##
###@#¤/~,, ,,~/¤#@###
##@#¤=/~,, ,,~/=¤#@##
##@#¤=/~,, ,,~/=¤#@##
##@#¤=/~,, 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?" ,,~//=¤¤¤@
###¤¤=/~,, ,,~/=¤¤###
@¤====/~,, ,,~/====¤@
##@#¤=/~,, ,,~/=¤#@##
##@#¤=/~,, ,,~/=¤#@##
#@¤¤¤=/~,, ,,~/=¤¤¤@#