»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
=»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»=
§=»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»=§
$§=»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»=§$
£$§=»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»=§$£
¶£$§=»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»=§$£¶
#¶£$§=»,¨¨ ¨¨,»=§$£¶#