..~-^*£§¶@ @¶§£*^-~..
.~-^*£§¶@# #@¶§£*^-~.
..~-^*£§¶@ @¶§£*^-~..
...~-^*£§¶ ¶§£*^-~...
..~-^*£§¶@ @¶§£*^-~..
.~-^*£§¶@# 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?" ¶§£*^-~...
..~-^*£§¶@ @¶§£*^-~..
.~-^*£§¶@# #@¶§£*^-~.
..~-^*£§¶@ @¶§£*^-~..
...~-^*£§¶ ¶§£*^-~...
..~-^*£§¶@ @¶§£*^-~..