:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨,~:§&¶@#
##@¶&§:~,¨ ¨,~:§&¶@##
#@¶&§:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:§&¶@#
@¶&§:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:§&¶@
¶&§:~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~:§&¶
&§:~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~:§&