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