####$*;=,¨ ¨,=;*$####
###¤$*;=,¨ ¨,=;*$¤###
##¤***;=,¨ ¨,=;***¤##
¤*;;,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,;;*¤
###¤$*;=,¨ ¨,=;*$¤###
###¤$*;=,¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨,=;*$¤###
¤*;=¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨,===;;**¤
###¤$*;=,¨ ¨,=;*$¤###
¤¤*;,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,;*¤¤
###¤$*;=,¨ ¨,=;*$¤###
####¤*;=,¨ ¨,=;*¤####
##$;,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,;$##