¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^% %^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^%§ §%^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~^%§# #§%^~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~^%§#@ @#§%^~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~^%§#@# #@#§%^~~¨¨
¨~~^%§#@## 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?" ^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨