#@£&%^:=-, ,-=:^%&£@#
@£&%^:=-,, ,,-=:^%&£@
£&%^:=-,,, ,,,-=:^%&£
&%^:=-,,,, ,,,,-=:^%&
%^:=-,,,,, ,,,,,-=:^%
^:=-,,,,,, 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?" ,,,,,,-=:^
%^:=-,,,,, ,,,,,-=:^%
&%^:=-,,,, ,,,,-=:^%&
£&%^:=-,,, ,,,-=:^%&£
@£&%^:=-,, ,,-=:^%&£@
#@£&%^:=-, ,-=:^%&£@#