¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~† †~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~†* *†~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~†*% %*†~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~†*%¤ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~† †~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~†* *†~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~†*% %*†~,¨¨¨¨¨