@†~::¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨::~†@
@†††::¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨::†††@
#@†~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~†@#
###@%†:~:¨ ¨:~:†%@###
#%%%%†:~:¨ ¨:~:†%%%%#
#@%%:~~¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~†@
##@@%†:~:¨ ¨:~:†%@@##
##@††::~:¨ ¨:~::††@##
##%†~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~†%##
##@%:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::%@##
@†:~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~:†@