¨:~*^%#@## ##@#%^*~:¨
¨:~*^^%%%# #%%%^^*~:¨
¨¨¨¨:~^%## ##%^~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^%@ @%^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~*^%#@@@ @@@#%^*~:¨
¨:~*^%#@## 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?" ####%^*~:¨
¨¨¨¨~~^%@@ @@%^~~¨¨¨¨
¨:~*^%#@## ##@#%^*~:¨
¨:~*^%#@## ##@#%^*~:¨
¨¨¨:~^^^%# #%^^^~:¨¨¨
¨:~***^### ###^***~:¨