,,,,«†%%¤£                                          £¤%%†«,,,,
,,,,,,,=†¤                                          ¤†=,,,,,,,
,,«=†%¤£@#                                          #@£¤%†=«,,
,,«=†%%¤££                                          ££¤%%†=«,,
,,,,,,«†¤£                                          £¤†«,,,,,,
,,«=†%¤£@#  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?"                 #@£¤%†=«,,
,,«=†%¤@##                                          ##@¤%†=«,,
,,,,,,,«†¤                                          ¤†«,,,,,,,
,,«=†%¤£@#                                          #@£¤%†=«,,
,,,,,,«†%£                                          £%†«,,,,,,
,,«=†%¤£@#                                          #@£¤%†=«,,