&&&¨&&&&&& ¨¨&&¨¨¨&&¨
¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨¨&¨&&
¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨ &&&&¨&&&¨&
&&&&¨¨¨¨¨& ¨¨¨&&¨¨&&&
¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨&¨&¨&¨¨¨
¨¨&&¨¨¨&&¨ 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?" &¨&¨&&&&&&
&&¨¨&¨¨&&¨ &&&&¨¨¨¨¨&
¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨ ¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨
&&&¨&&&&&& ¨¨&&¨¨¨&&¨
¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨¨&¨&&
¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨ &&&&¨&&&¨&