@@@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@@@
#@@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@@#
#*%†††~~¨¨ ¨¨~~†††%*#
#@@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@@#
#@@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@@#
@###*%†~~¨ 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?" ¨~~†%*#@@#
@##%~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~%##@
##@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@##
#@@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@@#
@@@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@@@
#@@#*%†~~¨ ¨~~†%*#@@#