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