#,#,#,,###                                          ##,,#,#,#,
#,#,#,#,##                                          ,#,##,#,#,
#,#,#,#,,#                                          ##,,#,#,#,
#,#,#,#,##                                          ,#,##,#,#,
#,#,#,#,,#                                          ##,,#,#,#,
#,#,#,#,##  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?"                 ,#,##,#,#,
#,#,#,#,,#                                          ##,,#,#,#,
#,#,#,#,##                                          ,#,##,#,#,
#,#,#,#,,#                                          ##,,#,#,#,
#,#,#,#,##                                          ,#,##,#,#,
#,#,#,#,,#                                          ##,,#,#,#,