@¨@¨@@@¨¨¨ ¨@@¨¨¨@@¨¨
@¨@¨¨@@¨¨¨ ¨¨@¨¨@¨@¨@
@¨@¨@¨@¨¨@ ¨@@¨@@¨@¨¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨¨@¨¨@¨@¨@
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@@¨@@¨@¨¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ 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?" ¨¨@¨¨@¨@¨@
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@@¨@@¨@¨¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨¨@¨¨@¨@¨@
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@@¨@@¨@¨¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨¨@¨¨@¨@¨@
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨ ¨@@¨@@¨@¨¨