##£&$;-^¨¨                                          ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨                                          ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨                                          ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨  ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING  ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ ALONG  THE RUSTY  CARGO  CARS LIKE  SOME ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ SPECIES OF  FERROPHAGE  INSECT.  UP  AND ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨ DOWN  THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS,  OILING ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨     JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING     ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨                CIGARETTES.               ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨      ¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶      ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ WE WERE  GOING SOUTH  THROUGH FINLAND AT ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ THE  TIME,   SLEEPING   CLOSE   TO   THE ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨  FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS.  ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨  TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW,   ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨ MOST   OF   WHICH  WERE   MECHANICS,  OR ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ LOADERS,  WITH  LARGE  AND  HAIRY  HANDS ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ THAT COULD  SWALLOW MY  ENTIRE BODY. AND ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨ ME  FEATURING  AS  THE  CUTE AND ASOCIAL ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ RADIO OPERATOR,  STATIONED IN  THE  BACK ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨    OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH    ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨         SERVED ME GOOD AND WELL.         ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨                                          ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨ AND THEN  ONE NIGHT, THERE'S  A MISSILE. ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ WE  WOULD  ROUTINELY PICK UP NEW CARS AT ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ THE  TAIL,  AND DROP SOME OFF, AS  A WAY ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨ OF  EARNING  SOME  EXTRA  MONEY.  BUT  A ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ MISSILE,  AND  APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ MIDDLE   OF   THE  NIGHT  AT  THAT?  NOT ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨         ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE.         ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨                                          ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨ I  CALL IT IN ON THE  WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ MANY  OTHERS  AWAKE,  THEY  KNOW NOTHING ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS  WELL. ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨      ¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶      ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨ WHEN  I  FALL AWAKE  IN  THE  AFTERNOON, ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨ KARL  IS  THERE,  SMILING  AT  ME.  "HEY ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨ BOY," HE  SAYS,  "WANNA  HELP ME  MAKE A ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨                  CALL?"                  ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨ AFTER  HE'S BROUGHT  ME COFFEE,  I  DIAL ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ THE  FREQUENCY  FROM  HIS NOTEBOOK,  AND ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ AFTER  A  WHILE   THERE'S   A  REPLY  IN ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨ PAN-SLAVIC.  KARL  LAUGHS  AND  MAKES  A ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨ REPLY IN  THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨ WE BOTH HAVE  HEADPHONES  I CAN'T FOLLOW ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ AT  ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨                FEW TIMES.                ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨ I'M ALMOST SNOOZING  AGAIN  AT  THE TIME ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨ KARL PUTS DOWN  THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨ ME  ON  MY BACK.  "ALLRIGHT BOY. I  JUST ¨¨^-;$&£##
###£&$;-^¨ SOLD A MISSILE."  HE  PRACTICALLY  BEAMS ¨^-;$&£###
##£&$;-^¨¨ AT ME, TEETH  FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨¨^-;$&£##
#£&$;-^¨¨¨                 DETOUR?"                 ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
&$;-^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^-;$&
£&$;-^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^-;$&£
#£&$;-^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^-;$&£#
##£&$;-^¨¨                                          ¨¨^-;$&£##