¨.-:=@¤### ###¤@=:-.¨
¨¨¨¨.-:@## ##@:-.¨¨¨¨
¨.-:=@¤### ###¤@=:-.¨
¨.-:=@¤### ###¤@=:-.¨
¨.-:=@¤### ###¤@=:-.¨
¨.-:=@¤### 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?" ¤@@===:-.¨
¨-:=@¤#### ####¤@=:-¨
¨¨¨¨--:==¤ ¤==:--¨¨¨¨
¨.-:=@¤### ###¤@=:-.¨
¨.-::==@## ##@==::-.¨
¨¨¨..::@## ##@::..¨¨¨