†:~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~:†
&†:~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~:†&
#&†:~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~:†&#
@#&†:~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~:†&#@
#@#&†:~~¨¨ ¨¨~~:†&#@#
##@#&†:~~¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~:
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨