........¤¤ .¤¤..¤....
........¤. .¤¤¤..¤...
.......... .¤.¤¤..¤..
.......... ...¤¤¤..¤.
.......... ...¤.¤¤..¤
¤......... 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?" ..¤.......
......¤¤¤. ¤..¤......
......¤.¤¤ ¤¤..¤.....
........¤¤ .¤¤..¤....
........¤. .¤¤¤..¤...
.......... .¤.¤¤..¤..