¨,~/*¤¶@## ##@¶¤*/~,¨
¨,~/*&¤¶@@ @@¶¤&*/~,¨
¨¨¨,~//**¤ ¤**//~,¨¨¨
¨,~/*&¤¶@# #@¶¤&*/~,¨
¨,~/*&¤¶@# #@¶¤&*/~,¨
¨,~////*¤¤ 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?" ¶&*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~/*&¤¤¤ ¤¤¤&*/~¨¨¨
¨,~/*&¤¶@# #@¶¤&*/~,¨
¨¨¨¨~/*¤¶@ @¶¤*/~¨¨¨¨
¨,~/*&¤¶@# #@¶¤&*/~,¨
¨,~/*&¤¶@# #@¶¤&*/~,¨