¨^«:§@¤### ###¤@§:«^¨
¨¨^«:§@¤## ##¤@§:«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«:§@¤# #¤@§:«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«:§@¤## ##¤@§:«^¨¨
¨^«:§@¤### ###¤@§:«^¨
¨¨^«:§@¤## 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?" ##¤@§:«^¨¨
¨^«:§@¤### ###¤@§:«^¨
¨¨^«:§@¤## ##¤@§:«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«:§@¤# #¤@§:«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«:§@¤## ##¤@§:«^¨¨
¨^«:§@¤### ###¤@§:«^¨