¶%=/-:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:-/=%¶
#¶%=/-:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:-/=%¶#
##¶%=/-:¨¨ ¨¨:-/=%¶##
###¶%=/-:¨ ¨:-/=%¶###
##¶%=/-:¨¨ ¨¨:-/=%¶##
#¶%=/-:¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-
/-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-/
=/-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-/=