@@@#@=/~,¨ ¨,~/=@#@@@
@@@@=/~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~/=@@@@
@@@//~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~//@@@
##@@@=/~,¨ ¨,~/=@@@##
#=/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/=#
@@@==~~¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨,~/=#
##@#@=/~,¨ ¨,~/=@#@##
##@#@=/~,¨ ¨,~/=@#@##
@##=/,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,/=##@
##==~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~==##
##@#@=/~,¨ ¨,~/=@#@##