¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\ \-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\$ $\-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-\$% %$\-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-\$%# #%$\-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,-\$%## ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ##%$\-,¨¨¨
¨¨,-\$%### 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 #%$\-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-\$% DETOUR?" %$\-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\$ $\-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-\ \-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨