##£#&*/~-¨ ¨-~/*&#£##
£&*/--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--/*&£
##£#&*/~-¨ ¨-~/*&#£##
##£#&*/~-¨ ¨-~/*&#£##
#&*~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~*&#
##£#&*/~-¨ 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?" ¨¨¨--/***#
##£#&*/~-¨ ¨-~/*&#£##
£#*/-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-/*#£
#*~~----¨¨ ¨¨----~~*#
#*~~~~--¨¨ ¨¨--~~~~*#
£££#&*/~-¨ ¨-~/*&#£££