¨¨¨~~~~\$£                                          £$\~~~~¨¨¨
¨~~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\\\$$@@                                          @@$$\\\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~\$@                                          @$\~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~†£@#  orange-clad train-climber crew, moving  #@£†~~¨¨¨¨
¨~~\†$£### along  the rusty  cargo cars  like  some ###£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@## species of  ferrophage  insect.  up  and ##@£$†\~~¨
¨¨¨~~\†$£@ down the  train,  checking bolts, oiling @£$†\~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~\\$£     joints, drinking coffee, smoking     £$\\~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~~\$£#                cigarettes.               #£$\~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~~††$£                                          £$††~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~\\$$@      @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@      @$$\\~¨¨¨¨
¨~~~~††££@                                          @££††~~~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~†£# we were  going south  through finland at #£†~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~\†$£@## the   time,   sleeping  close   to   the ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†£@###  furnace, watching the aurora borealis.  ###@£†\~~¨
¨¨¨~~\†††£   twenty-something members of the crew,  £†††\~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~~††£@# most   of  which   were   mechanics,  or #@£††~~~¨¨
¨~~\†$£@## loaders,  with  large  and  hairy  hands ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£££# that could  swallow my  entire body. and #£££$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@## me featuring  as  the  cute and  asocial ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£££@ radio  operator,  stationed in the  back @£££$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@##    of the kilometer-long train, which    ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~~~\\$£@         served me good and well.         @£$\\~~~~¨
¨~~~\\†£@#                                          #@£†\\~~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~\†$@ and then one night,  there's  a missile. @$†\~~¨¨¨¨
¨~~\†$£@## we would routinely pick up new  cars  at ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@## the tail,  and  drop some off, as  a way ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@## of  earning  some  extra  money.  but  a ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@## missile, and  appearing  silently in the ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@## middle  of  the  night  at   that?   not ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@##         entirely... comfortable.         ##@£$†\~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~\$@                                          @$\~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~\†††$@@ i call it in on  the  walkie-talkie. not @@$†††\~~¨
¨~~\†$£### many  others  awake, they  know  nothing ###£$†\~~¨
¨¨¨~~\\$$@ 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 £†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~\†$£@##                 detour?"                 ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~~¨
¨~~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~~¨
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¨~~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~~¨