#@¤$†=«:¨¨ ¨¨:«=†$¤@#
##@¤$†=«:¨ ¨:«=†$¤@##
#@¤$†=«:¨¨ ¨¨:«=†$¤@#
@¤$†=«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«=†$¤@
¤$†=«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«=†$¤
$†=«:¨¨¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨¨¨:«=†$
†=«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«=†
$†=«:¨¨¨¨¨ AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ¨¨¨¨¨:«=†$
¤$†=«:¨¨¨¨ FEW TIMES. ¨¨¨¨:«=†$¤
@¤$†=«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«=†$¤@
#@¤$†=«:¨¨ I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ¨¨:«=†$¤@#
##@¤$†=«:¨ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨:«=†$¤@##
#@¤$†=«:¨¨ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¨¨:«=†$¤@#
@¤$†=«:¨¨¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨¨¨:«=†$¤@
¤$†=«:¨¨¨¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨¨¨¨:«=†$¤
$†=«:¨¨¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨¨¨:«=†$
†=«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«=†
=«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«=
«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨