,-~^*£#### ####£*^~-,
,,-~^*£### ###£*^~-,,
,-~^*£#### ####£*^~-,
,,-~^*£### ###£*^~-,,
,-~^*£#### ####£*^~-,
,,-~^*£### 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?" ###£*^~-,,
,-~^*£#### ####£*^~-,
,,-~^*£### ###£*^~-,,
,-~^*£#### ####£*^~-,
,,-~^*£### ###£*^~-,,
,-~^*£#### ####£*^~-,