@@¤%$\~-,, ,,-~\$%¤@@
@¤%$\~-,,, ,,,-~\$%¤@
¤%$\~-,,,, ,,,,-~\$%¤
%$\~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~\$%
¤%$\~-,,,, ,,,,-~\$%¤
@¤%$\~-,,, 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?" ,,,,,-~\$%
¤%$\~-,,,, ,,,,-~\$%¤
@¤%$\~-,,, ,,,-~\$%¤@
@@¤%$\~-,, ,,-~\$%¤@@
#@@¤%$\~-, ,-~\$%¤@@#
@@¤%$\~-,, ,,-~\$%¤@@