¨¨¨¨¨¨~»\^ ^\»~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»\ \»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~» »~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»\ \»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~»\^ ^\»~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~»\^@ 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?" \»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~»\^ ^\»~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~»\^@ @^\»~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~»\^@@ @@^\»~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~»\^@@@ @@@^\»~¨¨¨
¨¨~»\^@@@# #@@@^\»~¨¨