¨¨¨~~;§%&¶ ¶&%§;~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;§%& &%§;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;§% %§;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;§ §;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~; ;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ 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?" @¶&%§;~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~;§%&¶ ¶&%§;~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~;§%& &%§;~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;§% %§;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~;§ §;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~; ;~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨