@@§$%%*-~¨ ¨~-*%%$§@@
#§$*--~~~¨ ¨~~~--*$§#
§$$****-~¨ ¨~-****$$§
§%-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-%§
§%----¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨----%§
§§$**~¨¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨¨~**$§§
§§§§$%*-~¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨~-*%$§§§§
##@§$%*-~¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨~-*%$§@##
@@§$$%*-~¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¨~-*%$$§@@
@$**~~~~¨¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨¨~~~~**$@
@$$$*~¨¨¨¨ CIGARETTES. ¨¨¨¨~*$$$@
§%-~~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~~-%§
#§$%*-~¨¨¨ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¨¨¨~-*%$§#
###@§$*-~¨ ¨~-*$§@###
@@@§$%*-~¨ WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ¨~-*%$§@@@
@§$*-~~¨¨¨ THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ¨¨¨~~-*$§@
##@§$%*-~¨ FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ¨~-*%$§@##
##@§$%*-~¨ TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ¨~-*%$§@##
##@§$%*-~¨ MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ¨~-*%$§@##
§$$****-~¨ LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ¨~-****$$§
#§%*--¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨~-*%§@###
§§$%%-¨¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨¨-%%$§§
##@§$%*-~¨ ¨~-*%$§@##
@$**--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--**$@
§§$$$%*-~¨ ¨~-*%$$$§§
##@§$%*-~¨ ¨~-*%$§@##
§§$*-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-*$§§