...,«^^¤@# #@¤^^«,...
....,«^^¤@ @¤^^«,....
.....,«^^¤ ¤^^«,.....
......,«^^ ^^«,......
.......,«^ ^«,.......
........,« 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?" ^^«,......
.......,«^ ^«,.......
........,« «,........
.......,«^ ^«,.......
......,«^^ ^^«,......
.....,«^^¤ ¤^^«,.....