###&@^†«.¨ ¨.«†^@&###
###&@^†«.¨ ¨.«†^@&###
&&@†«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«†@&&
#&^«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨«^&#
#@††..¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨..††@#
###&@^†«.¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨«†@#
###&@^†«.¨ ¨.«†^@&###
###&@^†«.¨ ¨.«†^@&###
#@@@@^†«.¨ ¨.«†^@@@@#
###&@^†«.¨ ¨.«†^@&###
###&@^†«.¨ ¨.«†^@&###