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