¨,=:†§&@@# #@@&§†:=,¨
¨,=:†§@@## ##@@§†:=,¨
¨¨,,,=†&&@ @&&†=,,,¨¨
¨¨¨,=:§&@@ @@&§:=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=†§§@@ @@§§†=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=†&@ 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?" @§:,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=:†§&&@@ @@&&§†:=,¨
¨,=::††§@@ @@§††::=,¨
¨,=:†§&@@# #@@&§†:=,¨
¨¨¨¨=†§§§@ @§§§†=¨¨¨¨
¨,=:†§&@@@ @@@&§†:=,¨