###&£%^=.¨ ¨.=^%£&###
#£^.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.^£#
###&£%^=.¨ ¨.=^%£&###
#££%^==.¨¨ ¨¨.==^%££#
####&%^=.¨ ¨.=^%&####
##&££%^=.¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=%&
###&£%^=.¨ ¨.=^%£&###
&&&&£%^=.¨ ¨.=^%£&&&&
#&£^.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.^£&#
###&£%^=.¨ ¨.=^%£&###
&&£^^===.¨ ¨.===^^£&&