¨#¨#¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#####
¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨ ##¨#¨¨####
¨#¨#¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨###
¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨ ##¨#¨#¨¨##
¨#¨#¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨ 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?" ##¨#¨#¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨ ##¨#¨#¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨¨#¨ ##¨#¨#¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨##¨ ¨#¨#¨#¨#¨#