¨&&&&¨¨&&& ¨&¨¨&¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨¨¨&¨&¨¨ ¨&&¨&&¨¨&&
&&&¨¨&&&&¨ ¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨
&¨¨&¨&¨¨¨& ¨&&&¨&&&&&
¨&¨&&&&¨¨& &&¨¨&&¨¨¨¨
¨&&&¨¨¨&¨& 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?" ¨¨¨&&&¨&¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨&&&&& &¨¨&¨¨&&&¨
¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨ &&¨&&¨&¨¨&
&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨¨ &¨&&¨&&&¨&
¨&¨¨¨&¨&¨¨ ¨&&¨&&¨¨&&
&&&¨¨&&&&¨ ¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨