#@@@¤§†=,, ,,=†§¤@@@#
###@¤§†=,, ,,=†§¤@###
###@@¤§†=, ,=†§¤@@###
@§=,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,=§@
##@@¤§†=,, ,,=†§¤@@##
@@@§†,,,,, 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?" ,,,,,†§@@#
##@@¤§†=,, ,,=†§¤@@##
@@@§=,,,,, ,,,,,=§@@@
@¤§†,,,,,, ,,,,,,†§¤@
#@@@¤§†=,, ,,=†§¤@@@#
@@@§†††=,, ,,=†††§@@@