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