@@@£$*†~., ,.~†*$£@@@
@££$$*†~., ,.~†*$$££@
@@@£$*†~., ,.~†*$£@@@
@@£$††..., ,...††$£@@
£$††~~,,,, ,,,,~~††$£
@$***†~.,, ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ,,.~†***$@
##@@£$†~., ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ,.~†$£@@##
#@@£$*†~., SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ,.~†*$£@@#
@£*~.,,,,, 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 ,,,,,~†**£
£$†.,,,,,, ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ,,,,,,.†$£
#@@£$*†~., SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ,.~†*$£@@#
#@@£$*†~., AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ,.~†*$£@@#
#@@£$*†~., DETOUR?" ,.~†*$£@@#
@$$†††~~., ,.~~†††$$@
@$†~.,,,,, ,,,,,.~†$@
#@@£$*†~., ,.~†*$£@@#
@@@£$*†~., ,.~†*$£@@@
##@@£$*†~. .~†*$£@@##