¨:~^§%¤### ###¤%§^~:¨
¨:~^§%¤### ###¤%§^~:¨
¨¨¨¨~^%¤¤# #¤¤%^~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~§%¤# #¤%§~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~^%¤#### ####¤%^~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:^^%# 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?" #¤¤§^::¨¨¨
¨:~^§%¤### ###¤%§^~:¨
¨:~^§%¤### ###¤%§^~:¨
¨:~^^^§§¤¤ ¤¤§§^^^~:¨
¨¨¨~^§§¤¤# #¤¤§§^~¨¨¨
¨:~^§%¤### ###¤%§^~:¨