¨,~†*§¤### ###¤§*†~,¨
¨,~†*§¤### ###¤§*†~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~*¤ ¤*~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~††*¤¤ ¤¤*††~,¨¨¨
¨,~†*§#### ####§*†~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~†§¤ 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?" ##¤¤§*†~,¨
¨¨¨¨,~~*¤¤ ¤¤*~~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~†*§¤ ¤§*†~~¨¨¨¨
¨,~†*§¤¤¤# #¤¤¤§*†~,¨
¨,~†*§¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤§*†~,¨
¨,~†*§¤### ###¤§*†~,¨