#@#§^:-.¨¨ ¨¨.-:^§#@#
@#§^:-.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.-:^§#@
#§^:-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-:^§#
§^:-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-:^§
^:-.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.-:^
:-.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨.-:^§#@##
#@#§^:-.¨¨ ¨¨.-:^§#@#
@#§^:-.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.-:^§#@
#§^:-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-:^§#
§^:-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-:^§
^:-.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.-:^