##@@&%=~^¨ ¨^~=%&@@##
#@@&%==~^¨ ¨^~==%&@@#
&======~^¨ ¨^~======&
#@@&%==~^¨ ¨^~==%&@@#
#@@&%==~^¨ ¨^~==%&@@#
@&%=~¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨^~==%&@@#
##@&%==~^¨ ¨^~==%&@##
&&%=~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~=%&&
#@@&%==~^¨ ¨^~==%&@@#
#@@&%==~^¨ ¨^~==%&@@#
@&%==~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~==%&@