-~........ ........~-
/-~....... .......~-/
$/-~...... ......~-/$
§$/-~..... .....~-/$§
@§$/-~.... ....~-/$§@
£@§$/-~... ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ...~-/$§@£
#£@§$/-~.. ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ..~-/$§@£#
##£@§$/-~. SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND .~-/$§@£##
#£@§$/-~.. DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ..~-/$§@£#
£@§$/-~... JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ...~-/$§@£
@§$/-~.... CIGARETTES. ....~-/$§@
§$/-~..... .....~-/$§
$/-~...... ££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ......~-/$
/-~....... .......~-/
-~........ 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 .......~-/
$/-~...... ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ......~-/$
§$/-~..... SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS .....~-/$§
@§$/-~.... AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ....~-/$§@
£@§$/-~... DETOUR?" ...~-/$§@£
#£@§$/-~.. ..~-/$§@£#
##£@§$/-~. .~-/$§@£##
#£@§$/-~.. ..~-/$§@£#
£@§$/-~... ...~-/$§@£
@§$/-~.... ....~-/$§@