§=~^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^~=§
#@@§¤=/~^, ,^~/=¤§@@#
@§§¤//^^,, ,,^^//¤§§@
@@§=~^,,,, ,,,,^~=§@@
#@@§¤=/~^, ,^~/=¤§@@#
##@§¤=/~^, 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?" ,^~/=¤§@@@
##@@§=/~^, ,^~/=§@@##
##@§¤=/~^, ,^~/=¤§@##
@¤=/^^,,,, ,,,,^^/=¤@
#@@§¤=/~^, ,^~/=¤§@@#
#@@§¤=/~^, ,^~/=¤§@@#