¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^ ^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^% 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 $%^~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^% AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A %^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^ FEW TIMES. ^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^% DETOUR?" %^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~^%$ $%^~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~^%$# #$%^~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~^%$#@ @#$%^~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~^%$#@@ @@#$%^~,¨¨
¨,~^%$#@@# #@@#$%^~,¨