##@¤%%\«-¨ ¨-«\%%¤@##
##@¤%%\«-¨ ¨-«\%%¤@##
##@¤%%\«-¨ ¨-«\%%¤@##
##@¤%%\«-¨ ¨-«\%%¤@##
¤%%««««¨¨¨ ¨¨¨««««%%¤
#¤%\\««-¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨««\%¤@#
@%%%\-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-\%%%@
##@¤%%\«-¨ ¨-«\%%¤@##
##@¤%%\«-¨ ¨-«\%%¤@##
@¤%%%«-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-«%%%¤@
##@¤%%\«-¨ ¨-«\%%¤@##