@&@%*-~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~-*%@&@
#@&@%*-~¨¨                                          ¨¨~-*%@&@#
##@&@%*-~¨                                          ¨~-*%@&@##
#@&@%*-~¨¨                                          ¨¨~-*%@&@#
@&@%*-~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~-*%@&@
&@%*-~¨¨¨¨  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?"                 ¨¨¨¨~-*%@&
@&@%*-~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~-*%@&@
#@&@%*-~¨¨                                          ¨¨~-*%@&@#
##@&@%*-~¨                                          ¨~-*%@&@##
#@&@%*-~¨¨                                          ¨¨~-*%@&@#
@&@%*-~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~-*%@&@