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