#@£§&§;~:¨                                          ¨:~;§&§£@#
££&§~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~§&££
§&§;:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:;§&§
##@£§§;~:¨                                          ¨:~;§§£@##
##@§&§;~:¨                                          ¨:~;§&§@##
£&;:¨¨¨¨¨¨  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?"                 ¨:~;§§£@##
£§§§;;~::¨                                          ¨::~;;§§§£
@§&§;;;~:¨                                          ¨:~;;;§&§@
§§§;;:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:;;§§§
#@£§&§;~:¨                                          ¨:~;§&§£@#
@§&§;:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:;§&§@