,,,,~†*¤¤¤ ¤¤¤*†~,,,,
,~~†*¤@### ###@¤*†~~,
,~~†**¤@## ##@¤**†~~,
,~~†**¤@@@ @@@¤**†~~,
,,,~†**¤¤# #¤¤**†~,,,
,~~†**¤@## 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?" ##@¤**†~~,
,~~†††††*¤ ¤*†††††~~,
,~~†**¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤**†~~,
,~†**¤@### ###@¤**†~,
,~~†**¤@## ##@¤**†~~,
,,,,,~†**¤ ¤**†~,,,,,