@#£$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, CIGARETTES. ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ############################## ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, THAT COULD SWALLOW MY ENTIRE BODY. AND ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ME FEATURING AS THE CUTE AND ASOCIAL ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, RADIO OPERATOR, STATIONED IN THE BACK ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, SERVED ME GOOD AND WELL. ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, AND THEN ONE NIGHT, THERE'S A MISSILE. ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, WE WOULD ROUTINELY PICK UP NEW CARS AT ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, THE TAIL, AND DROP SOME OFF, AS A WAY ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, OF EARNING SOME EXTRA MONEY. BUT A ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, ############################## ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, CALL?" ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, FEW TIMES. ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, DETOUR?" ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$£#@
#£$§/~,,,, ,,,,~/§$£#
@#£$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$£#@
#@#£$§/~,, ,,~/§$£#@#
@#£$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$£#@