@@=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=@@
##@@@§=»,¨ ¨,»=§@@@##
##@@@§=»,¨ ¨,»=§@@@##
##@@@§=»,¨ ¨,»=§@@@##
@@§=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=§@@
###@@§=»,¨ 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?" ¨,»=§@@@##
@@=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=@@
@@§§»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»§§@@
##@@@§=»,¨ ¨,»=§@@@##
##@@@§=»,¨ ¨,»=§@@@##
##@@@§=»,¨ ¨,»=§@@@##