##@£*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*£@##
###@£*%=,¨ ¨,=%*£@###
##@£*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*£@##
##@£*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*£@##
##@£*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*£@##
##@£*%=~,¨ 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?" ¨,,,~==%*£
###£*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*£###
##@£*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*£@##
#££**%=~,¨ ¨,~=%**££#
#£%~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~%£#
##@£*%=~,¨ ¨,~=%*£@##