,~~††===&# #&===††~~,
,~~†=&#@## ##@#&=†~~,
,~~†=&#@## ##@#&=†~~,
,,,,,~††&# #&††~,,,,,
,,,,~†=&@# #@&=†~,,,,
,,~~~†=&&# 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?" @&††~~,,,,
,,,~~~=&## ##&=~~~,,,
,~~†=&&##@ @##&&=†~~,
,~~=&#@### ###@#&=~~,
,~~~††=##@ @##=††~~~,
,~~†=&#### ####&=†~~,