¨&¨¨&&&¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨&&¨&¨&
&&&¨&¨¨&&& ¨¨¨¨&¨&&&&
¨¨¨&&&¨&¨¨ &¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨
¨¨¨&¨¨&&&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨¨
¨¨¨&&¨&¨¨& ¨&&¨&&¨&&¨
¨¨¨&¨&&&¨& 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?" &¨&&¨¨¨¨&&
¨¨&&&&&¨&& ¨&&¨&¨¨¨&¨
¨¨&¨¨¨¨&&¨ ¨&¨&&&¨¨&&
&¨&&¨¨¨&¨& &&&&¨¨&¨&¨
&&&¨&¨¨&&& ¨¨¨¨&¨&&&&
¨¨¨&&&¨&¨¨ &¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨