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