&&&&¨¨¨¨¨& ¨¨&¨&¨¨¨&¨
¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&& ¨&&&&¨¨&&&
¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨& &¨¨¨&¨&¨¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&&&¨ &¨¨&&&&¨&&
&&&&¨&¨¨&¨ &¨&¨¨¨&&¨&
¨¨¨&&&¨&&¨ 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?" ¨¨&¨¨&¨&&&
¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ ¨&&¨&&&¨¨&
¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨& &¨&&¨¨&¨&&
¨¨¨¨&&&&&¨ &&¨&¨&&&¨&
¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&& ¨&&&&¨¨&&&
¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨& &¨¨¨&¨&¨¨&