,.~†%£§££@                                          @££§£%†~.,
,.~††%%%§£                                          £§%%%††~.,
,.~†%£§@##                                          ##@§£%†~.,
,,..~~†%§@                                          @§%†~~..,,
,,,,~†%%§@                                          @§%%†~,,,,
,.~†%£§£@#  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?"                 ##£§£%†~.,
,,,,,~†£££                                          £££†~,,,,,
,,,,~†££££                                          ££££†~,,,,
,.~†%£§£##                                          ##£§£%†~.,
,,,,..†££@                                          @££†..,,,,
,.~†£§£@##                                          ##@£§£†~.,