#@#§*=/«-, ,-«/=*§#@#
@#§*=/«-,, ,,-«/=*§#@
#§*=/«-,,, ,,,-«/=*§#
§*=/«-,,,, ,,,,-«/=*§
*=/«-,,,,, ,,,,,-«/=*
=/«-,,,,,, 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?" ,,-«/=*§#@
#@#§*=/«-, ,-«/=*§#@#
@#§*=/«-,, ,,-«/=*§#@
#§*=/«-,,, ,,,-«/=*§#
§*=/«-,,,, ,,,,-«/=*§
*=/«-,,,,, ,,,,,-«/=*