##@$†:-.¨¨ ¨¨.-:†$@##
###@$†:-.¨ ¨.-:†$@###
##@$†:-.¨¨ ¨¨.-:†$@##
#@$†:-.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.-:†$@#
@$†:-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-:†$@
$†:-.¨¨¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨¨¨.-:†$
†:-.¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨.-:†
$†:-.¨¨¨¨¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨¨¨¨¨.-:†$
@$†:-.¨¨¨¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨¨¨¨.-:†$@
#@$†:-.¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨.-:†$@#
##@$†:-.¨¨ ¨¨.-:†$@##
###@$†:-.¨ ¨.-:†$@###
##@$†:-.¨¨ ¨¨.-:†$@##
#@$†:-.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.-:†$@#
@$†:-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-:†$@