~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
\~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~\
^\~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~\^
§^\~.¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨.~\^§¶@
¶§^\~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~\^§¶
§^\~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~\^§
^\~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~\^
\~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~\
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~