^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^