,,,,,«^^^§                                          §^^^«,,,,,
,,,,«*£££#                                          #£££*«,,,,
,~«*^£§###                                          ###§£^*«~,
,~«*^£§###                                          ###§£^*«~,
,~«*^^££§#                                          #§££^^*«~,
,,~~**£§§§  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?"                 ###§£^*«~,
,,,~~*^£##                                          ##£^*~~,,,
,,,,,,««^§                                          §^««,,,,,,
,,,,«*^§§#                                          #§§^*«,,,,
,~«*^£§###                                          ###§£^*«~,
,~«*^£####                                          ####£^*«~,