¨~»/*$¤### ###¤$*/»~¨
¨~»/*$¤@## ##@¤$*/»~¨
¨~~~~/**$¤ ¤$**/~~~~¨
¨~»////$@# #@$////»~¨
¨¨¨¨¨»*$@@ @@$*»¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~»//$¤¤ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¤¤$//»~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~/*¤ 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?" ¤****»¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~»*¤¤@ @¤¤*»~¨¨¨¨
¨~»/*$¤@## ##@¤$*/»~¨
¨~»/*$¤### ###¤$*/»~¨
¨~»/*$¤### ###¤$*/»~¨
¨~»/*$¤¤@@ @@¤¤$*/»~¨