#&*%/~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~/%*&#
&*%/~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~/%*&
#&*%/~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~/%*&#
##&*%/~:¨¨ ¨¨:~/%*&##
###&*%/~:¨ ¨:~/%*&###
##&*%/~:¨¨ 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?" ¨¨:~/%*&##
#&*%/~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~/%*&#
&*%/~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~/%*&
#&*%/~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~/%*&#
##&*%/~:¨¨ ¨¨:~/%*&##
###&*%/~:¨ ¨:~/%*&###