@@@†-,,,,, ,,,,,-†@@@
@@@†=~,,,, ,,,,~=†@@@
@†---,,,,, ,,,,,---†@
@@@†---,,, ,,,---†@@@
@@@@$†=-~, ,~-=†$@@@@
@$†-~~~,,, ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ,,,~~~-†$@
@$===-,,,, ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ,,,,-===$@
@†=-~,,,,, 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?" ,~-===†$$@
#@@@$†=-~, ,~-=†$@@@#
##@@$†=-~, ,~-=†$@@##
@@$=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=$@@
#@@@$†=-~, ,~-=†$@@@#
##@@$†=-~, ,~-=†$@@##