@#¤$:.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.:$¤#@
#@#¤$†:~.¨ ¨.~:†$¤#@#
@¤†::~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~::†¤@
#@#¤$†:~.¨ ¨.~:†$¤#@#
#@#¤$†:~.¨ ¨.~:†$¤#@#
¤¤†~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨.~†¤@
###¤$†:~.¨ AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ¨.~:†$¤###
#@#¤$†:~.¨ FEW TIMES. ¨.~:†$¤#@#
#¤†::::~.¨ ¨.~::::†¤#
###¤$†:~.¨ I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ¨.~:†$¤###
#@#¤$†:~.¨ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨.~:†$¤#@#
##@#¤$†:~¨ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¨~:†$¤#@##
#@#¤$†:~.¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨.~:†$¤#@#
@@#¤$†:~.¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨.~:†$¤#@@
#$$:~¨¨¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨¨¨~:$$#
#@#¤$†:~.¨ ¨.~:†$¤#@#
#@#¤$†:~.¨ ¨.~:†$¤#@#
¤†~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~†¤
#$$†~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~†$$#
#¤$::.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.::$¤#