.-«/%%¤### ###¤%%/«-.
......-«%¤ ¤%«-......
.-«/%%¤@## ##@¤%%/«-.
..--«««%%@ @%%«««--..
.-«/%%¤@## ##@¤%%/«-.
.-«/%%¤@## 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?" ###¤%%/«-.
.-«/%%%%¤# #¤%%%%/«-.
.-«/%%%¤@# #@¤%%%/«-.
.-«/%%¤@## ##@¤%%/«-.
.-«/%%@### ###@%%/«-.
.-«%%¤@### ###@¤%%«-.