¨¨¨¨¨.-:@@ @@:-.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.-:*@¤@## ##@¤@*:-.¨
¨.-:*@¤@## ##@¤@*:-.¨
¨.-:*@¤@## ##@¤@*:-.¨
¨.-:*@¤@## ##@¤@*:-.¨
¨¨¨¨.-***¤ 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?" #@@*--..¨¨
¨¨¨¨.:*¤@# #@¤*:.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨..-*¤# #¤*-..¨¨¨¨
¨.-:*@¤@## ##@¤@*:-.¨
¨¨¨.:**@@@ @@@**:.¨¨¨
¨.-:*@¤@## ##@¤@*:-.¨