¨¨¨¨,~;%@§ §@%;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;%@§@ @§@%;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;%@§@# #@§@%;~,¨¨
¨,~;%@§@## ##@§@%;~,¨
¨¨,~;%@§@# #@§@%;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;%@§@ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~; ;~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~;% %;~,¨¨¨¨¨¨