##@¤¤^†»,¨ ¨,»†^¤¤@##
##@¤¤^†»,¨ ¨,»†^¤¤@##
@¤^^†»»,¨¨ ¨¨,»»†^^¤@
@@@¤¤^†»,¨ ¨,»†^¤¤@@@
##@¤¤^†»,¨ ¨,»†^¤¤@##
#@@¤¤^†»,¨ 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?" ¨,»†^¤¤@##
@¤¤^»»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»»^¤¤@
##@¤¤^†»,¨ ¨,»†^¤¤@##
##@¤¤^†»,¨ ¨,»†^¤¤@##
@¤¤^^†»,¨¨ ¨¨,»†^^¤¤@
##@¤¤^†»,¨ ¨,»†^¤¤@##