¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;
†;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨:~;†&£##
#£&†;~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~;†&£#
£&†;~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~;†&£
&†;~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~;†&
†;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;†
;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;