#@%///=,,, ,,,=///%@#
#£%%=.,,,, ,,,,.=%%£#
#@£%/.,,,, ,,,,./%£@#
#@@@£%/=., ,.=/%£@@@#
#£££%===., ,.===%£££#
###@£%/=., 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?" ,.=/%£@@##
#£/..,,,,, ,,,,,../£#
###@£%/=., ,.=/%£@###
###@£%/=., ,.=/%£@###
##££/.,,,, ,,,,./££##
###@£%/=., ,.=/%£@###