,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
*»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»*
^*»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»*^
$^*»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»*^$
£$^*»,¨¨¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨¨¨,»*^$£
@£$^*»,¨¨¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨¨¨,»*^$£@
#@£$^*»,¨¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨¨,»*^$£@#
##@£$^*»,¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¨,»*^$£@##
#@£$^*»,¨¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨¨,»*^$£@#
@£$^*»,¨¨¨ CIGARETTES. ¨¨¨,»*^$£@
£$^*»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»*^$£
$^*»,¨¨¨¨¨ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¨¨¨¨¨,»*^$
^*»,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,»*^
*»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨