¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«: :«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:% %:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«:%$ 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?" #¶$%:«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«:%$¶## ##¶$%:«,¨¨
¨,«:%$¶### ###¶$%:«,¨
¨¨,«:%$¶## ##¶$%:«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«:%$¶# #¶$%:«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:%$¶ ¶$%:«,¨¨¨¨