¨¨¨¨¨~^%## ##%^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨,~^^$### ###$^^~,¨¨
¨,~^$%#### ####%$^~,¨
¨¨¨,,~~~$# #$~~~,,¨¨¨
¨,~^$%#### ####%$^~,¨
¨¨¨¨,^$$## ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ##$$^,¨¨¨¨
¨,~^$%#### ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ####%$^~,¨
¨,~^$%#### SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ####%$^~,¨
¨¨¨¨,,^^%# 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 #%$$$~~~,¨
¨,~^$%#### WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ####%$^~,¨
¨,,~~^%%## AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ##%%^~~,,¨
¨,~^$%#### FEW TIMES. ####%$^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~$# #$~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$# I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME #$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~^%## KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ##%^~,¨¨¨¨
¨,~^$%#### ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ####%$^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^$## SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ##$^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^$%#### AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ####%$^~,¨
¨,~^$%%### DETOUR?" ###%%$^~,¨
¨,~^$%#### ####%$^~,¨
¨,~^$%#### ####%$^~,¨
¨,~^$%#### ####%$^~,¨
¨,~^$%#### ####%$^~,¨
¨¨¨¨~$$%## ##%$$~¨¨¨¨