¨¨:«†§@@¶# #¶@@§†«:¨¨
¨:«†§@@¶## ##¶@@§†«:¨
¨¨:«†§@@¶# #¶@@§†«:¨¨
¨¨¨:«†§@@¶ ¶@@§†«:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:«†§@@ @@§†«:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:«†§@ 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?" †«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:« «:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨