###§*$\-.¨ ¨.-\$*§###
##§*$\-.¨¨ ¨¨.-\$*§##
#§*$\-.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.-\$*§#
§*$\-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-\$*§
*$\-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-\$*
$\-.¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨.-\$*§#
##§*$\-.¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨.-\$*§##
###§*$\-.¨ ¨.-\$*§###
##§*$\-.¨¨ ¨¨.-\$*§##
#§*$\-.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.-\$*§#
§*$\-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-\$*§
*$\-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-\$*