&&££:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:££&&
@&&£%%:=-¨ ¨-=:%%£&&@
@&£:-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-:£&@
##@&£%:=-¨ ¨-=:%£&@##
#@@&£%:=-¨ ¨-=:%£&@@#
#@@&£%:=-¨ 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?" ¨-=:%£&@@#
#@@&£%:=-¨ ¨-=:%£&@@#
#@@&£%:=-¨ ¨-=:%£&@@#
&&%:==-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-==:%&&
@@@&£%:=-¨ ¨-=:%£&@@@
@&%:-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-:%&@