,.~;$$£¶@#                                          #@¶£$$;~.,
,.~;$$£¶@#                                          #@¶£$$;~.,
,.~;$$£¶@#                                          #@¶£$$;~.,
,.~;;;$££@                                          @££$;;;~.,
,.~;$$£¶@#                                          #@¶£$$;~.,
,.~;$$$$¶@  orange-clad train-climber crew, moving  @¶$$$$;~.,
,.~;$£¶@## along the  rusty  cargo  cars like  some ##@¶£$;~.,
,.~;$$£¶## 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?"                 #@¶£$$;~.,
,.~;$$¶@##                                          ##@¶$$;~.,
,,,~;;$$££                                          ££$$;;~,,,
,.~;$$£@##                                          ##@£$$;~.,
,,,,,,,~$£                                          £$~,,,,,,,
,...;$$££¶                                          ¶££$$;...,