###@%^~-,, ,,-~^%@###
##@%^~-,,, ,,,-~^%@##
#@%^~-,,,, ,,,,-~^%@#
@%^~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~^%@
%^~-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-~^%
^~-,,,,,,, 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?" ,-~^%@####
###@%^~-,, ,,-~^%@###
##@%^~-,,, ,,,-~^%@##
#@%^~-,,,, ,,,,-~^%@#
@%^~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~^%@
%^~-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-~^%