,,~\†*#### ####*†\~,,
,,~\†*#### ####*†\~,,
,,~\††***# #***††\~,,
,,~\†*#### ####*†\~,,
,,~\†††*## ##*†††\~,,
,~\†*##### 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?" ##†~,,,,,,
,,,,~\\†## ##†\\~,,,,
,,~\†**### ###**†\~,,
,,,,,,\†## ##†\,,,,,,
,,,,~††### ###††~,,,,
,,,,~\†### ###†\~,,,,