¨¨¨~~::@@¤ ¤@@::~~¨¨¨
¨~=:†@¤¶## ##¶¤@†:=~¨
¨~=:†@¤### ###¤@†:=~¨
¨~=:@¤¶### ###¶¤@:=~¨
¨~=:::†@@¤ ¤@@†:::=~¨
¨¨¨¨~=:†@¤ 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?" ##¶¤@†:=~¨
¨~=:†@¤¶## ##¶¤@†:=~¨
¨¨¨¨¨=†@¤¶ ¶¤@†=¨¨¨¨¨
¨~=:†††¤¤¤ ¤¤¤†††:=~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=:@¤ ¤@:=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~=:†@¤### ###¤@†:=~¨