##@&*^\~^¨                                          ¨^~\^*&@##
#@&*^\~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~\^*&@#
@&*^\~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~\^*&@
#@&*^\~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~\^*&@#
##@&*^\~^¨                                          ¨^~\^*&@##
#@&*^\~^¨¨  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?"                 ¨¨^~\^*&@#
##@&*^\~^¨                                          ¨^~\^*&@##
#@&*^\~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~\^*&@#
@&*^\~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~\^*&@
#@&*^\~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~\^*&@#
##@&*^\~^¨                                          ¨^~\^*&@##