,,::††£§§# #§§£††::,,
,:=†*££§@# #@§££*†=:,
,,,==†**§@ @§**†==,,,
,:=†*£§@## ##@§£*†=:,
,:=†*£§@@@ @@@§£*†=:,
,:=†*£§@## 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?" ##@§£*†=:,
,:=†*£§@## ##@§£*†=:,
,:::††**£§ §£**††:::,
,:=†*£§@## ##@§£*†=:,
,,,,=††£@# #@£††=,,,,
,:=†*£§@## ##@§£*†=:,