###&%*†=^¨ ¨^=†*%&###
#&*†^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^†*&#
&&%**††=^¨ ¨^=††**%&&
###&%*†=^¨ ¨^=†*%&###
#&%%*†=¨¨¨ ¨¨¨=†*%%&#
###&%*†=^¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨^^†%%&
&*†^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^†*&
###&%*†=^¨ ¨^=†*%&###
#&%%†=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=†%%&#
#&*†^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^†*&#
###&%*†=^¨ ¨^=†*%&###