#@#£&§\«,, ,,«\§&£#@#
@#£&§\«,,, ,,,«\§&£#@
#£&§\«,,,, ,,,,«\§&£#
£&§\«,,,,, ,,,,,«\§&£
&§\«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«\§&
§\«,,,,,,, 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?" ,,,«\§&£#@
#@#£&§\«,, ,,«\§&£#@#
@#£&§\«,,, ,,,«\§&£#@
#£&§\«,,,, ,,,,«\§&£#
£&§\«,,,,, ,,,,,«\§&£
&§\«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«\§&