,-«««†££##                                          ##££†«««-,
,-«†=£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£=†«-,
,,,,-««=¤@                                          @¤=««-,,,,
,-«†=£¤@##                                          ##@¤£=†«-,
,-«†=£¤###                                          ###¤£=†«-,
,-«†=£¤###  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?"                 @¤¤£†«,,,,
,-«««=££#@                                          @#££=«««-,
,-«†=£¤@##                                          ##@¤£=†«-,
,,,«««†==¤                                          ¤==†«««,,,
,,,,,,-«=¤                                          ¤=«-,,,,,,
,-«†=£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£=†«-,