¤¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¤¤¨¤
¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¤¤¨ ¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¤¨¤
¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¤¤ ¨¨¨¤¤¨¤¤¨¨
¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¤¤¤¨
¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤ ¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¤ 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?" ¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¤¤¨
¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¤¨¨¨¤¤¤
¤¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¤ ¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¤
¤¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¨¤
¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¤¤¨ ¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤
¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¤¤ ¤¤¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¨