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