@$$$;=,,,, ,,,,=;$$$@
@$;;==,,,, ,,,,==;;$@
@$;,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,;$@
@@$;=,,,,, ,,,,,=;$@@
##@@$$;=,, ,,=;$$@@##
@$$=,,,,,, ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ,,,,,,=$$@
@$;,,,,,,, ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ,,,,,,,;$@
@$;;;;=,,, SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ,,,=;;;;$@
@@$$$$;=,, DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ,,=;$$$$@@
##@@$$;=,, 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?" ,,=;$$@@@@
@$;;;;;=,, ,,=;;;;;$@
#@@@$$;=,, ,,=;$$@@@#
#@@@$$;=,, ,,=;$$@@@#
@@@$=,,,,, ,,,,,=$@@@
#@@@$$;=,, ,,=;$$@@@#