#@§&*/=,¨¨ ¨¨,=/*&§@#
@§&*/=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=/*&§@
§&*/=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=/*&§
&*/=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=/*&
*/=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=/*
&*/=,¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨,=/*&§@##
#@§&*/=,¨¨ ¨¨,=/*&§@#
@§&*/=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=/*&§@
§&*/=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=/*&§
&*/=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=/*&
*/=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=/*